Striking a nerve with pop-punk fans once more, Paramore’s return to music is as surprising as their decision to shy away from the anthemic style their previous release offered. The three-piece is more than that, but After Laughter felt like comfortable progress. This Is Why shows the band are much deeper than their 2017 album would give them credit for though. A dance-punk revival meets with great artistic growth on a track full of great lyrical work, a fit of biting anger found not just in its energetic wordplay but in its pacing and tone. This Is Why is one of the most important tracks Paramore has released.
Not just for what it means for the growth of the band but for where it sets their next album. This Is Why is a track filled with exceptional lyrical work that batters down the anthemic tag so often associated with Paramore after Hard Times. Paramore’s latest track still has the feel of an anthemic song, but it is the rejection of that tag in the lyrics and the anxious vocals that come through from Hayley Williams that cement this as a quality piece. Taylor York and Zack Farro are just as important in making that switch as Williams’ lyrics are, but one is rightly given more prominence than the other. There are still the lingering effects of their most popular works, but a slight rejection of the tropes and hit-ready markings so clearly shown on their synthpop predecessor.
This Is Why could certainly stand on its lyrics alone but York and Farro ease listeners in with their shared instrumental opening. Welcome back to Paramore. Setting the tone of This Is Why is as crucial as the wordplay to follow their brief, electric overture. Almost immediately set down the warpath, Paramore takes note of the supposed opinions their music has associated with it, telling those same critics to “shove it” or “scream it”. It is hard to see how Paramore can have detractors when at the very worst they can be labelled a solid pop-punk band. How controversial a band they appear to make no difference, Williams has confronted that label with This Is Why and does a great job of it, of being “caught out” on leaving the house and the reaction that comes from it.
Nostalgia will no doubt flow for those that remember the days of clubbing and dancing to Hard Times in some sticky-floored upstairs bar, but This Is Why takes Paramore that step further. It is the next level for Williams and company, whose three-piece nature now shown in this new track blurs together with essential creativity and success. Paramore regroups and offers up a daring, biting track that sets out their future intentions as artists. It may be some time before the rest of the tracks on This Is Why release, but the album’s title track is an essential, fitting return for the band. Paramore helps their audience realise they didn’t know what they were missing for five long years with This Is Why, an explosive delight that shifts the sound to that next stage yet still captures that keen nostalgia from older, excited fans.
