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8.2/10
Iconic American rock band Paramore come through with their first album release since 2017, and although they've been making music since the early 2000s, their newest album 'This Is Why' still sounds modern and fresh.
Kicking off the album is the title track "This Is Why", a Classic Paramore sound with unsurprisingly great vocals from lead singer Hayley Williams. The guitar and drums on this track are perfectly combined (a constant theme in this project), and the harmonies are flawless. "The News" follows, and is a fun track with solid, relevant lyrics regarding recent current events and negative news stories that seem to never go away. The drums are the standout instrument on this track, accompanied by Hayley's classic angsty vocals. "Running Out Of Time" seems to be everyone's favorite from this album, and although it wasn't the standout for me, it's still a great track. The hook is very catchy, Hayley's vocals are extremely powerful, and the lyrics are realistic and relatable, which I appreciate. Unfortunately, I was quickly underwhelmed by the following track "C’est Comme Ça ". It's lyrically corny, disappointing, and repetitive. Although Paramore were obviously going for a carefree feel on this track, it's too carefree for me. The vocals, however, are fine.
The album quickly is put back on pace with one of my favorite tracks on the album, "Big Man, Little Dignity". The melody on this track is so addicting, and the vocals mixed with the light synth in the back are very hypnotic. This track offers a nice calm break in the album after a rush of pop-punk bops. "You First" lights the album back up once again with an incredibly solid hook, flawless melody, and beautiful harmonies from Hayley. That little jazzy and fried vocal on "animaaaal" is such a great touch. Although it is a catchy listen, it doesn't seem to evolve or build up much instrumentally. "Figure 8", however, does just that. I loved the hard-hitting drop on this track into the punky drums and raw-sounding electric guitar break. Hayley comes through with a passionate vocal performance on this track which is brought up by wonderfully distant vocal production. "Liar" is another calm break in the album, with Hayley giving breathier vocals, an unneeded but pleasant switch up from her usual belting self. The soft reverbed guitar is gorgeous and the slower-paced drums behind it match the pacing perfectly. The indie vibe is also strong on this track, and Paramore does it very well!
"Crave" offers up another powerful vocal performance from Hayley, and a great sad/nostalgic-sounding melody, but unfortunately felt instrumentally one-dimensional; it's just an ok track. "Thick Skull", the closing track, is another stand-out for me. The vocal production is beautifully done, sounding very dreamy and persuasive; the melody is also very compelling. The ending of this track sticks out the most, sounding very grand as Hayley pours out all of her vocals.
This new Paramore album proves how this band will truly never become "washed up" or "irrelevant" ever. They will continue to be inventive, have new ideas, and produce fresh sounds.
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