After six years of no music since After Laughter, Paramore has finally come back with a new album, titled This Is Why. I have had this album on repeat ever since it came out (February 10th, 2023), so I figured that I am qualified enough to give my thoughts and opinions on their new album.
This is why
I, too, also hate leaving my house! When this single first came out, I had it on repeat for a while, and I really took the time to appreciate this song fully. It is such a groovy song, and I love how the guitar sounds in the chorus. I feel like all the instruments mesh so well together in this song. I also feel like this is an appropriate song to start the album off with. It really just sets the tone for the rest of the album. Out of 10, I would rate this song an 8/10.
The News
This song and “C’est Comme Ça” are my favorite singles that were released before the entire album was released. Again, I love how the guitar sounds during the chorus, also the drums in this song just sound amazing. The lyrics in the song itself talk about how damaging the news can be, and how we all see and hear about horrendous events happening around the world. I feel like it also talks about the tug-of-war we have about wanting to stay informed about events occurring, but also learning about these events themselves can damage our mental health, and we end up becoming desensitized to hearing about such events. Out of 10, I would rate this song a 9/10.
Running Out of Time
Do you always feel like you’re running out of time? If so, you may find this song highly relatable, just like I do! This song quite literally represents how I plan to do things, but never end up finding the time to do them, and then they never end up happening. One of my favorite things about this song is Hayley’s scream at the beginning of the chorus. I’m also a big fan of the guitar in the chorus (I feel like I’m going to say this for every song on this album). I also have to bring up my favorite lyric of this entire song, which is “It was on my list I swear I meant to get to it.” I am an avid list maker, and whenever I put things under the “flexible” portion of my to-do list, they usually never get done, and then I end up adding them to my to-do list the next day, and it still never gets done! This, alongside many others, is one of my favorite songs on the entire album. Out of 10, I would rate this song a 9/10.
C’est Comme Ça
C’est Comme Ça basically means “That’s just how it is” in French. This is another one of my favorite singles alongside The News. This song just makes me want to get up and dance, and I absolutely adore how the drums sound throughout this entire song. This song talks about how difficult it is to adjust to life when everything seems better than before, and how stability and getting better can be found as boring. I feel like I can somewhat relate to this because even though getting better is a good thing, sometimes the monotony of life can be quite boring. My favorite lyrics in this song have to be “Lucky for me, I run on spite and sweet revenge” and “I know that regression is rarely rewarded/I still need a sudden degree of disorder.” Out of 10, I would rate this song a 9/10.
Big Man, Little Dignity
I love how this song starts off with two clarinets and a flute. I also really like the keyboard in the bridge. The drums in the outro of the song are also so good. I also love the raspiness in Hayley’s voice when she sings the no in “No offense but you/You got no integrity.” Alongside loving how all the instruments mesh extremely well in this song, I also really like what the song talks about. The song brings up men in power, and how even though they always get into controversies and problems, they never end up facing the consequences. That they leave social media or the limelight for a while to “work on themselves,” and come back a little while later, not changing at all. We can see multiple examples of this when focusing on celebrities or practically any man in power. This is also one of my favorite songs on the album. Out of 10, I would rate this song a 10/10.
You First
This song was instantly added to my angry playlist after hearing it. I love the guitars at the beginning, and also the drums in the entire song just sound amazing. I absolutely adore the lyrics in the pre-chorus, and the lyrics “Turns out I’m livin’ in a horror film/Where I’m both the killer and the final girl” stood out to me during my first listen of this song. Out of 10, I would rate this song a 9/10.
Figure 8
This song instantly stood out to me while I was listening to the new album for the first time. The beginning of the song definitely caught my attention. This is mainly because I feel like the guitar and other instruments at the beginning of a song sound like they’re going through an endless loop, like a figure eight. This is definitely a song that I can imagine myself screaming-singing to. Again, this is another song where I feel like the instrumentals mesh so well together. I especially love Hayley’s vocals in this song. They just sound so raw and emotional. I feel like I could listen to this song endlessly and never get tired of it. Out of 10, I would rate this song a 10/10.
Liar
This is one of the slower songs on the album, and I absolutely love it. This song talks about how Hayley denied her feelings for her fellow band member and partner, Taylor York, and how she felt like it was wrong for her to have these feelings. While I am typically not usually a big fan of slower songs, this is one of the few exceptions. I also have maybe cried to this song already. I hope I can someday come around to accepting my feelings toward people, and not feel bad for liking someone. Out of 10, I would rate this song a 9/10.
Crave
This is another song that I can imagine screaming the chorus to. I can also heavily relate to this song. This song talks about how, in the middle of experiencing something, Hayley is already planning how she’s going to remember this moment in the future. She is unable to live in the moment because she’s too aware of how every moment is fleeting. My favorite lyrics in the entire song have to be “I romanticize even the worst of times/When all it took to make me cry was being alive.” This song takes my breath away every time I listen to it. Out of 10, I would rate this song a 10/10.
Thick Skull
“I’m attracted to broken people” is one of the most real things that Hayley has ever said in a song. This is the longest song on the record, and it primarily talks about the criticism and judgment that Paramore has faced, particularly the criticism she has faced. In an interview with The Line Of Best Fit, Hayley said, “The last song of the album is reflective of my biggest insecurities throughout our career. The shit people projected onto me all these years: saying the band is manufactured or that I’m using my friends for my own personal career advances… I decided to speak directly to those fears, even indulging the naysayers.” I can best describe this song as being a journey. I absolutely love the instrumentals throughout this entire song. Out of 10, I would rate this song a 10/10.
I would definitely recommend this entire album to anyone that is a fan of Paramore. There have been a lot of differing opinions on this album from TikTok, and some people are upset that they do not sound the same as they did many years ago. I can understand this but at the same time, a band is always going to develop its sound and experiment with different music genres. Although it is different from their previous albums, you can tell that the band has grown and developed its sound since then, and I recommend that everyone give this album a chance!