This Is Why Explained

This Is Why
Type:studio
Artist:Paramore
Cover:Paramore - This Is Why.png
Alt:The band members press their cheeks up against a glass screen that is slightly wet, superimposed with the text "Paramore" and "This Is Why" on either side.
Recorded:2022
Studio:
  • United (Los Angeles)
  • Music Friends (Los Angeles)
  • Glenwood Place (Burbank)
Genre:
Length:36:12
Label:Atlantic
Producer:Carlos de la Garza
Prev Title:After Laughter
Prev Year:2017
Next Title:Re: This Is Why
Next Year:2023

This Is Why is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Paramore, released on February 10, 2023 through Atlantic Records, their final studio album for the label. It is their first album since 2017, following After Laughter, and is the band's second album to have that lineup (Hayley Williams, Taylor York, and Zac Farro). The album was supported by four singles: "This Is Why", "The News", "", and "Running Out of Time".

This Is Why received critical acclaim and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 64,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, 47,000 of which were pure album sales. A remix album, Re: This Is Why, was released October 6, 2023, featuring remixed, reworked, and rewritten versions of songs from This Is Why by different artists. The album won Best Rock Album and the album's title track won Best Alternative Music Performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.[1]

Background and recording

In May 2017, Paramore released their fifth studio album After Laughter to critical acclaim.[2] The album saw the return of former drummer Zac Farro, who had left the band in 2010.[3] The band toured in support of the album from June 2017 until September 2018. Following the conclusion of the After Laughter Tour, the members of Paramore took a break from writing and recording music for the band and worked on other endeavors. Hayley Williams featured on the American Football song "Uncomfortably Numb" in 2019[4] and released two solo albums, Petals for Armor (2020)[5] and Flowers for Vases / Descansos (2021);[6] the former produced by Paramore guitarist Taylor York.[7] She also pivoted her attention more towards her hair dye company Good Dye Young and hosted the weekly BBC Sounds series Everything Is Emo.[8] Farro continued his ongoing project HalfNoise, releasing an extended playFlowerss (2018) – and two albums – Natural Disguise (2019) and Motif (2021).[9] Farro also recorded drums for the songs "Watch Me While I Bloom" and "Crystal Clear" from Williams' Petals for Armor[10] and released an EP under his own name titled Zafari (2020).[11]

Discussions about a sixth Paramore album began in 2020 while Williams was promoting Petals for Armor. Williams hinted that the band's next album would be more guitar-driven, stating, "We've found ourselves listening to a lot of older music that we grew up being inspired by."[12] She further commented on the sound of the album in 2022, likening it to Bloc Party: “From day one, Bloc Party was the number one reference because there was such an urgency to their sound that was different to the fast punk or the pop-punk or the like, loud wall of sound emo bands that were happening in the early 2000s.”[13] In January 2022, the band confirmed they had entered the studio to work on their sixth album.[14]

Composition

This Is Why is the band's first album to have a title track. Logan Gourlay of Rock Sound called it a "jittery post-punk record" and noted Foals, Bloc Party and Talking Heads influences.[15] George Griffiths of the Official Charts Company described the album as a "confidently jagged, hard post-punk soundscape."[16] Meredith Jenks and Christine Werthman of Billboard have described the album as "a tight, post-punk juggernaut that zeroes in on pandemic-fueled anxieties".[17] Similarly, Arielle Gordon from Pitchfork characterized the album as "jittery, crackling post-punk."[18] Andrew Sacher at BrooklynVegan claimed the album has "twitchy" dance-punk "all over [it]."[19] Wesley McLean of Exclaim considered the album to be "deeply rooted in post-punk and art punk traditions."[20] According to Alexis Petridis of The Guardian, "[the album] stirs 00s alt-rock into the mix: the band have mentioned Bloc Party and Foals as influences."[21] Ims Taylor of Clash stated that "Paramore opt for simple, striking, and forceful on ‘This Is Why’, keeping in that New Wave tradition of punchy phrases iterated and reiterated, through vivid guitar countermelodies, offbeat punctuation and pointed lyrical looping of lyrics that go beyond verse chorus verse chorus, searing each song's character into your mind indelibly."[22] The Sydney Morning Herald noted that "the album’s last three tracks swirl around a dream-pop axis."[23] According to Chris Thiessen of Under the Radar, "The back half of the album feels tonally different from the front, more personal and relational and coming closer to their pop-punk roots."[24] Maximo David of Boolin Tunes states "any notion that This Is Why is Paramore 'returning to their roots,' or whatever a number of pundits may have purported over the years is almost unequivocally false."[25]

Release and promotion

See main article: This Is Why Tour. In September 2022, Paramore archived all posts on their official Instagram page and unveiled a new design for the website. The site featured a timeline of several dates throughout the month that would be updated each date.[26] These dates saw the launch of the band's official Discord server, the announcement of new tour dates in Los Angeles and New York City, and video snippets of the band working on new material. On September 16, the band announced their first new single in four years, "This Is Why", which was released on September 28.[27] The same day as the single's release, the band announced the album of the same name to be released on February 10, 2023.[28] Paramore performed the single on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on November 4.[29] On December 8, 2022, the band released the second single, "The News".[30] [31] The third single, "C'est Comme Ça" was released on January 12.[32] [33] The band embarked on a brief tour beginning in October, including headlining slots at the Austin City Limits and When We Were Young festivals.[34] [35] [36] On February 6, 2023, the band debuted the song "Running Out of Time" at their album release show in Nashville.[37] [38] On February 16, 2023, the band released a music video for the album's fourth single, "Running Out of Time".[39] On March 1, 2024, a music video for "Thick Skull" was released.[40]

Critical reception

This Is Why received widespread acclaim upon release. The album holds a score of 85 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic, based on 20 critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Writing for AllMusic, Matt Collar wrote that the album "[pulls] the artistic and emotional threads of their career into a cohesive, ardent whole." Ims Taylor of Clash praised the songwriting stating, "It's a disservice...to call any Paramore album the 'most' anything...But something about the songwriting on This Is Why are undeniably the most something, Williams both elegant and sandpaper-coarse, depending on what is called for."[22] Sarah Jamieson of DIY called the album "another bold and brilliant transformation for the trio" with a "real sense of self-assuredness" that is "Paramore's most ambitious record yet".[41] Writing for Evening Standard, David Smyth felt that the album "ranges from volcanic energy to slower tracks that suggest an appealing maturity."

Wesley McLean of Exclaim! called it "a record deeply rooted in post-punk and art punk traditions", and "Paramore's most mature release to date."[20] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian wrote that on the album, "the agitated drumming and angular guitars meld with the big riffs and stop-start dynamics of pop-punk and an acute understanding of pop songcraft", concluding that it "tackles millennial malaise really well and realistically".[21] Writing for Kerrang!, Sam Law opined that "the songwriting of these 10 tracks feel like a natural evolution" from the songs on After Laughter: "slightly older, slightly wiser, quite a lot more outraged at the state of the world". Law felt that Williams "tap[s] into the heightened version of her real persona" on This Is Why and commented that it is "remarkable how distinctly Paramore this still sounds". According to Steven Loftin writing for The Line of Best Fit, "Like all good jangling indie bops, beneath the fluctuations of chipper notes swims a dark underbelly, and This Is Why relishes in this fact."

Reviewing the album for NME, Sophie Williams found it to be "as in tune with the textures of today's forward-thinking rock as much as it is a love letter to Paramore's brilliantly caustic early days", with "some of their most fearless songwriting to date" and the band having "uncovered a new warmth". Arielle Gordon of Pitchfork wrote that "Instead of regurgitating the gnarled mall punk of their previous records", Paramore "reach for the propulsive sounds of post-punk" on the album, but found it to be "front-loaded with [...] lyrical missteps and ironies that would make Alanis Morissette roll her eyes" and the anger displayed in the lyrics "too lazy and too late".[18] Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen of The Sydney Morning Herald described the album as a "reintroduction to a band that's back with a new maturity and sense of purpose."[23] Chris Thiessen of Under the Radar noted that the album "suffers slightly from front-loading imbalance" but still felt that the album was "well executed...and offers a glimpse into the ways we've all had to deal with the universal and the particular simultaneously in these last few years."[24]

In June 2023, Alternative Press published an unranked list of the top 25 albums of the year to date and included this release, calling it "anything but reserved" as the band "boldly and artfully dig into politics, discomfort, and mental health while finding a funkier, more complex musical canvas with which to explore and express themselves freely".[42] In December 2023, NME ranked the album as the fifth-best of the year.[43]

Accolades

!Association!Year!Nominated Work!Category!Result
Grammy Awards2024This Is WhyBest Rock Album
"This Is Why"Best Alternative Music Performance

Track listing

All tracks written by Hayley Williams, Taylor York, and Zac Farro. All tracks produced by Carlos de la Garza.

Personnel

Credits retrieved from album's liner notes.[44]

Paramore

Additional musicians

Technical

Artwork

Re: This Is Why

Re: This Is Why
Type:remix
Artist:Paramore
Cover:Paramore - Re This Is Why album cover.webp
Alt:A closeup photo of a face with eyes covered in blue eyeshadow and mouth and teeth with messy red lipstick.
Recorded:2022–2023
Label:Atlantic
Prev Title:This Is Why
Prev Year:2023

Re: This Is Why is the first remix album by American rock band Paramore, released on October 6, 2023.[45] [46] Described as "almost a remix album", Re: This Is Why features reworked, remixed, and rewritten versions of songs from the band's 2023 album This Is Why, as well as an unreleased B-side demo. It is the band's final release on Atlantic Records.

Paramore began teasing Re: This Is Why in late September 2023,[47] posting audio snippets from the album on their official Discord server.[45] The album was officially announced on October 2.[45]

In an interview at The New Yorker Festival, the band stated that they would release a track with David Byrne that was not included on the album.[48]

Track listing

Notes

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2023)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[49] 100
Japanese Rock Albums (Oricon)[50] 16
Japanese Western Albums (Oricon)[51] 27
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[52] 70
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[53] 3
Uruguayan Albums (CUD)[54] 8
Chart (2024)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[55] 14

Year-end charts

Chart (2023)! scope="col"
Position
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[56] 61
US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)[57] 37
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[58] 62
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[59] 33

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormat(s)VersionLabel
VariousFebruary 10, 2023StandardAtlantic[60]
October 6, 2023Re: This Is Why
April 20, 2024Vinyl LP[61]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Here are the 2024 Grammy Award winners. NPR. February 4, 2024. February 4, 2024.
  2. Web site: Reviews and Tracks for After Laughter by Paramore. Metacritic. December 29, 2022.
  3. Web site: Maeve. McDermott. Paramore return with surprise new single 'Hard Times'. USA Today. April 19, 2017. December 22, 2022.
  4. Web site: Tim. Sendra. American Football - American Football. AllMusic. December 29, 2022.
  5. Claire. Shaffer. Hayley Williams Announces Solo LP 'Petals for Armor,' Shares 'Simmer'. Rolling Stone. January 22, 2020. September 28, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220524154922/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hayley-williams-petals-for-armor-simmer-940942/. May 24, 2022. live.
  6. Web site: Matthew. Strauss. Hayley Williams Releases New Album Flowers for Vases / descansos. Pitchfork. February 5, 2021. September 28, 2022.
  7. Web site: Matt. Collar. Hayley Williams Petals for Armor AllMusic Credits. AllMusic. December 29, 2022.
  8. Web site: David. Renshaw. Hayley Williams launches in-depth emo podcast Everything Is Emo. The Fader. April 29, 2022. December 29, 2022.
  9. Web site: HalfNoise announce new album 'Motif'. DIY. October 8, 2021. September 28, 2022.
  10. Web site: Fiachra. Johnson. Hayley Williams – 'Petals For Armor'. Punktastic. May 11, 2020. February 10, 2023.
  11. Web site: Matthew. Strauss. Paramore's Zac Farro Drops Surprise Reggae-Influenced 'Zafari' EP. BroadwayWorld. August 22, 2020. February 10, 2023.
  12. Web site: Nick. Reilly. Hayley Williams on Paramore's next album: "We've found ourselves listening to a lot of older music". NME. May 11, 2020. September 28, 2022.
  13. Web site: Ali. Shutler. The new Paramore album is influenced by Bloc Party, says Hayley Williams. NME. July 30, 2022. September 28, 2022.
  14. Jon. Blistein. Paramore Are Back in the Studio for Their First Album in Five Years. Rolling Stone. January 11, 2022. September 28, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220408053947/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/paramore-new-album-interview-update-1282239/. April 8, 2022. live.
  15. Web site: Logan. Gourlay. Paramore triumph with an explosively political and personal album, 'This Is Why' review. Rock Sound. February 10, 2023. February 10, 2023. February 10, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230210165104/https://rocksound.tv/artists/paramore-triumph-with-an-explosively-political-and-personal-album-this-is-why. dead.
  16. Web site: Paramore and Hayley Williams' Official Top 20 biggest songs in the UK revealed. Official Charts Company. Griffiths. George. February 16, 2023. February 16, 2023.
  17. Meredith. Jenks. Christine. Werthman. Paramore: Photos From the Billboard Cover Shoot. Billboard. January 19, 2023. January 20, 2023. But the group’s sixth album, This Is Why — a tight, post-punk juggernaut that zeroes in on pandemic-fueled anxieties, scheduled for release Feb. 10 — marks the first time the lineup has been consistent between two albums, as well as the end of its contract with Atlantic Records, the only label the band has ever known..
  18. Web site: Arielle. Gordon. Paramore: This Is Why Album Review. Pitchfork. February 10, 2023. February 10, 2023.
  19. Web site: Andrew. Sacher. On 'This Is Why,' Paramore sound like the band they've always wanted to be (review). BrooklynVegan. February 10, 2023. February 10, 2023.
  20. Web site: Wesley. McLean. Paramore: Paramore Make Their Case on the Fantastic 'This Is Why'. Exclaim!. February 10, 2023. February 10, 2023.
  21. Web site: Alexis. Petridis. Alexis Petridis. Paramore: This Is Why review – deft songs of millennial malaise. The Guardian. February 9, 2023. February 9, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230209125420/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/feb/09/paramore-this-is-why-review-deft-songs-of-millennial-malaise. February 9, 2023. live.
  22. News: Ims. Taylor. Paramore – This Is Why. Clash. February 10, 2023. February 10, 2023.
  23. Web site: Annabel Ross. Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen. Back at their best: This is why Paramore influenced a generation. The Sydney Morning Herald. February 3, 2023. February 10, 2023.
  24. Web site: Chris. Thiessen. Paramore: This Is Why (Atlantic) - review. Under the Radar. February 9, 2023. February 9, 2023.
  25. Web site: David. Maximo. Album Review: Paramore – This Is Why. Boolin Tunes. February 10, 2023. February 11, 2023.
  26. Web site: Jordan. Blum. Paramore Share Enigmatic Song Sample + Launch Schedule, Fans React. Loudwire. September 11, 2022. September 28, 2022.
  27. Web site: Quinn. Moreland. Paramore Announce "This Is Why," First New Song in 5 Years. Pitchfork. September 16, 2022 . September 28, 2022.
  28. Web site: Matthew Ismael. Ruiz. Paramore Announce New Album This Is Why, Share Video. Pitchfork. September 28, 2022. September 28, 2022.
  29. Web site: Alex . Gallgher . Watch Paramore play 'This Is Why' on 'Fallon'. . November 4, 2022. December 29, 2022.
  30. Web site: Emily . Carter . Paramore to release new single The News this week. . December 5, 2022. December 22, 2022.
  31. Web site: Rob . Arcand . Watch Paramore's Video for New Song "The News". . December 8, 2022. December 22, 2022.
  32. Tom . Skinner . Paramore tease new single 'C'est Comme Ça', coming this week. Rolling Stone. January 9, 2023. January 9, 2023.
  33. Web site: Hollie . Geraghty . Listen to Paramore tease new song 'C'est Comme Ca'. . January 9, 2023. January 9, 2023.
  34. Web site: Jazz . Monroe . Paramore Announce Fall 2022 North American Tour. Pitchfork. July 15, 2022. September 28, 2022.
  35. Gil . Kaufman . Red Hot Chili Peppers, P!nk, Lil Nas X, Paramore to Headline 2022 Austin City Limits Festival. Billboard. May 10, 2022. September 28, 2022.
  36. Web site: Elizabeth . Aubrey. Paramore announce return: Band to headline When We Were Young festival alongside My Chemical Romance. NME. January 18, 2022 . September 28, 2022.
  37. Web site: Neville. Hardman. Watch Paramore debut new song "Running Out Of Time" in Nashville. Alternative Press. February 7, 2023. February 9, 2023.
  38. Web site: Tom. Breihan. Watch Paramore Debut New Song "Running Out Of Time" & Play Live Rarities At Ryman Auditorium. Stereogum. February 7, 2023. February 9, 2023.
  39. Starr. Bowenbank. Watch Paramore Get Stuck in a Trippy, Alternate Reality in 'Running Out of Time' Video. Billboard. February 16, 2023. February 16, 2023.
  40. James. Wilson-Taylor. Watch: Paramore Unveil Music Video For 'This Is Why' Track 'Thick Skull'. Rock Sound. March 1, 2024. March 1, 2024.
  41. Web site: Sarah. Jamieson. Paramore – This Is Why review. DIY. February 10, 2023. February 10, 2023.
  42. en-US . . 1065-1667 . 25 best albums of 2023 so far . 2023-06-23 . 2023-10-25.
  43. Web site: The best albums of 2023 . NME . 8 December 2023 . 10 December 2023.
  44. This Is Why. 2023. booklet. Atlantic.
  45. Web site: Eddie. Fu. Paramore Announce Remix Album Re: This Is Why. Consequence. October 2, 2023. October 2, 2023.
  46. Web site: Tyler Damara Kelly. Paramore announce "almost a remix album", Re: This Is Why. The Line of Best Fit. October 2, 2023. October 2, 2023.
  47. Rania. Aniftos. Paramore Is Teasing Something 'This Is Why' Related. Billboard. September 5, 2023. October 2, 2023.
  48. Web site: Rettig . James . 2023-10-07 . Paramore Have A David Byrne Rework Coming Too . 2023-10-08 . Stereogum . en.
  49. Web site: Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2023/02/15 公開. Billboard Japan. ja. February 15, 2023.
  50. Web site: Weekly ROCK Album Ranking. Oricon. February 15, 2023. February 15, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230215220608/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ra/w/2023-02-20/p/2/. February 15, 2023.
  51. Web site: Weekly Western Music Album Ranking. Oricon. February 15, 2023. February 15, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230215220200/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/wa/w/2023-02-20/p/3/. February 15, 2023.
  52. Web site: 2023 7-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100). AGATA. lt. February 17, 2023. February 17, 2023.
  53. Web site: NZ Top 40 Albums Chart. Recorded Music NZ. February 20, 2023. February 18, 2023.
  54. Web site: Cudisco – Cámara Uruguaya del Disco. 22 April 2023. es. Uruguayan Chamber of Disc. https://web.archive.org/web/20230412230828/https://cudisco.org/. 12 April 2023.
  55. Web site: Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2024. 17. hét . . 2 May 2024.
  56. Web site: Year-End Charts: Top Album Sales (2023). Billboard. December 16, 2023.
  57. Web site: Year-End Charts: Top Current Album Sales (2023). Billboard. April 13, 2024.
  58. Web site: Year-End Charts: Top Rock & Alternative Albums (2023). Billboard. November 23, 2023.
  59. Web site: Year-End Charts: Top Alternative Albums (2023). Billboard. December 16, 2023.
  60. This Is Why release formats:
  61. Web site: RSD '24 Special Release: Paramore - Re: This is Why . 2024-06-06 . recordstoreday.com . en.