Culture Crash: A Return To Paramore

Six years since their last album, “After Laughter,” Paramore is back with a new album, titled “This is Why,” which sees the band returns to a pure rock sound. The album kicks off with its title track, “This is Why,” which sees frontwoman Hayley Williams defending her light agoraphobia, something many of us can relate to after a prolonged pandemic era. Hot on its heels, the album pivots to “The News,” a song all about being overwhelmed by the constant barrage of bad news in this country and world. From there, you’re off and running with Paramore, who seem to understand just how hard the past six years were for so many.

The entire album runs less than 40 minutes, but it still sees the band checking in with a number of different sounds. Notably, “Figure 8” is reminiscent of the band’s most famous era, its heavier instrumentation bringing listeners back to the band’s breakthrough emo rock album “Riot!” Paramore also brings some humor to the proceedings, the song “Running out of Time” sees Williams explaining why she’s always a little late and “C’est Comme Ca” offering a candid look at aging into your thirties. “I hate to admit getting better is boring,” Williams sings, “But the high cost of chaos, who can afford it?”

The album ends on its most delicate track, “Thick Skull,” before leaving its audience wanting more. In all, “This is Why” is a more mature version of Paramore than listeners have ever heard before, seeing Williams and her bandmates lamenting the state of the world and taking inventory of themselves after a long period of disruption.

In doing so, Paramore’s “This is Why” becomes one of the first great albums of 2023.