Between genre shifts, line-up changes, and conflicts within their 20-year career, Paramore still carries their energy as they leap into Post-Punk. ‘This Is Why’ is a new change of pace for the band, keeping the raw sharpness that’s always been their biggest strength, strengths that get lopsided in their new Post-Punk territory.
Now 20 years as a band, it’s a wonder seeing the trajectory Paramore has in their entire catalog. Still keeping each other’s bonds even with the shaky turmoils that have challenged the band while they glide and dive deep into different genres. It’s not so much as staying away from what they’ve been known for in Pop Punk, but accentuating their signature compositional and lyrical core, allowing said genre shifts to not alienate the fans while still garnering the curious folks on what they have to show. They’ve always been a band whose high points can make some potent songs that allow the emotionality to shine with strong hooks, potent grooves, and a ravishing performance from Hailey Williams, but at their worst, they can get let down whenever something does not stick out in the production and lyricism. That and how their genre leaps also showcase a downside that they’re not sure how to wade through.
This creates a frustrating listen to their entire back catalog, as with every album, there’s always something that doesn’t allow them to be at their high points and makes their overall discography to be mostly decent albums, but not excellent ones either. Their first three records tilt towards Pop Punk that crashes through separation and abandonment on ‘All We Know Is Falling‘; straightforward explosive riotous energy on ‘Riot!’; maturity and trailing through religion and love on ‘Brand New Eyes’. Then comes the 2010s that leap into genre shifts that have their lopsided results. ‘Paramore’, their self-titled record may as well be their worst as their winks towards Power Pop really do not fit them at all, whereas Hailey’s performance gets oddly sour and lyrical details that do get more hopeful and bright despite just how it sours out when deflecting negativity around it. Their new wave swerves in ‘After Laughter’ does not let up either. While it fits better for the band, the production does not allow the solid grooves to be more splashy, Hailey’s delivery feels limited all over, and emotional honesty only deflates due to how the straightforward language tilts to typicality.
Now 6 years after ‘After Laughter’ which also includes the other band members doing other things with Hailey Williams notably putting out two solo albums in 2020 and 2021, they’ve come full throttle once again with ‘This Is Why’. Yet another shift of sound and style for the band, this time they lean into the realms of post-punk, all with splintered jaggedness on the grooves while still pursuing what makes Paramore a band to look out for all this time. On ‘This Is Why’, the lead single rips out a striking post-punk raver, closing off on providing opinions that may stir more pressure on the post-pandemic internet communities as the blazing hook and foot-thumping rhythms roar and stomp away through the end.
Pressure seems to be the main driving point of the record, whether that be about the helplessness that Hayley feels about the current negative strain of the news of ‘The News’ that also contains spiraling guitar notes, hypnotic pre-chorus leading up to the brash chorus; the frustrations of not having the power to change the situation, filled with stubborn excuses as the fluid drum work and guitar trills escalate to the chorus sounding snappy as ever. It continues to a downward spiral in the continuing tracklist, where after the need for chaos despite getting better (‘C’est Comme Ça’), the band confronts deeper fractured moral humanities, from the accountability from men with huge egos but little else (‘Big Man, Little Dignity’), the dour reality of avoiding evil as much as possible (‘You First’), and the off and on spiraling degradation coming away from toxic relationships (‘Figure 8’).
Due to that pressure, it creates a sting when it comes to going through new relationships. On ‘Liar’, Hayley fights away the feeling towards her love of Taylor York, an inward fight that breaks apart as she finally embraces it at the end. It’s a love song that pricks on the touch, Hayley’s vocals sounding pleasant as the wreath of guitars, drums, and warm effects added on envelop the atmosphere with a sense of comfort. After the craving to re-encounter past moments just to feel alive on ‘Crave’, ‘Thick Skull’ ends the album with a dour flip of the faint positive script. A reflection of Hayley’s insecurities, acting as a magnet for people that break her and themselves repeatedly, bookending the record with solemn vocals amidst the instrumentation that lilts and splashes when the emotions need it.
It is a different shift from their usual sound, another attempt of finding new ways to twist styles that still fit their now mature, dour melodic approach. However, this shifting attempt becomes a lot less remarkable and invigorating, especially in terms of production and lyrical flair. Just like their genre switching to new wave on ‘After Laughter’ that may have texture but not much color, the genre switch to post-punk becomes neutered, Carlos de la Garza’s production may land the dry tones of the guitars and the drums nicely which allows their melodies to bubble, but there’s no sharper edge that will render the choruses to rubble everything to the ground. Hence why ‘Figure 8’ and ‘You First’, as much as they are charged in jagged melodies, the lack of power when it is needed makes the overall tunes less fiery. It also does not help that Hayley William’s vocals - as much as she can rivet and snarl her way on these songs - are kicked back from the mix, a big setback when tracks like ‘Crave’ with its washed out production and momentous lyrical light has a big chorus melody that should work, but the vocals are in the back of that haze that the impact ends up muted.
And in the post-pandemic era where pressure is at a time high due to how much we are now seeing and interacting, Paramore writes up those insecurities and pressures just fine. However, the writing, just like their past records, shows a brand of trite songwriting including a deflection and defeatism - as much as it makes sense at this time - only makes some of their punches feel pulled back. ‘You First’ really comes up short of interesting metaphors as it rolls around typical wolves and horror symbolism to get the job done, with the message of avoiding bad because “everybody is evil anyways” leaves no room for optimism on display. ‘Big Man, Little Dignity’ and ‘The News’ follow up this defeatist streak, in a way where the observation comes off surface level. The former song - with its calming woodwinds and grooves - as much as it is a takedown towards men and their lack of accountability for their dim actions, the entire bridge deflates that as it sounds like that takedown is nothing more but a short-span dream. And there’s the latter song, the helplessness to help amidst the news showing more and more chaos is a weird point of action for the band. It’s the kind of helplessness that stays there when things are at an all-time low - and even if those feelings are normal, especially right now - for a band such as Paramore that showcases lilting hope at times of despair and struggles, the approach to stay on that one defeatist spot and not willing on digging deeper into those feelings comes off as a headscratcher.
‘This Is Why’ is a record that amidst all of its striking melodic throughlines from Taylor York and Zac Farro, and the echoing and varied presence of Hayley William’s signature vocals, the step to go from New Wave to Post Punk on this record is a lopsided affair. It may stick the landing in terms of melodic complexity and dry textures, but the production does not leverage sharper tones and better mixing to allow the tracks to fully shine. And the lyrics with their defeatist, deflective declarations shuts down the messages that try to be prickly and direct despite hangups on trite details and surface-level observations, this record just loses so much impact overall. It may find ways to find answers to why the chaos at this moment creates pressured feelings in everyone all the time, but it doesn’t answer why we should try to provide a semblance of change amidst pressuring defeatisms and deflections.
Favorite Tracks: This Is Why, The News, Running Out Of Time, Liar, Thick Skull
Least Favorite Track: You First