Review Summary: Should this one have left the house?
In the realm of pop punk and alternative music, Paramore seem to have an Adele-style playbook; put out an album, go away for fifty-seven years, rinse, repeat. The difference, though, is that Paramore's interim periods are packed to the brim with turmoil and uncertainty.
This Is Why is actually their first album
ever to feature the exact same recording lineup as its predecessor. More power to them for finally finding some stability; the prospect of them even going on has come into question a few times over the years. That said, however,
This Is Why is more of a whimper than a triumphant return, and not just because longtime fans aren't getting any red meat in the way of composition.
I think a lot of us held baited breath with respect to the notion that Paramore would hop on the copiously crowded bandwagon of recent pop punk revivalism. In a similar vein, 2017's
After Laughter was part of what seemed to be a trend around that time of household emo acts ditching their roots for something new (All Time Low, Fall Out Boy). But, Paramore isn't looping back around. This isn't the same band that made
Riot!; it barely resembles their self titled opus in my estimation. Paramore's sixth studio outing is much more akin to
After Laughter and it seems they wish to keep strutting down this new path. Sadly, though, it doesn't do much for me.
To cut Paramore some slack, the opening title cut "This Is Why" seems like the most earnest effort on here. I'd say watching the accompanying music video works in its favor, gives you more of a glimpse into the artistic statements they want to convey; the location they use is as isolated as Hayley Williams' tangentially drab stanzas about not wanting to leave the house even though "the coast is clear." It reminds me of
Laughter's "Rose Colored Boy" and its desire to "cry a little bit longer." York and Farro pair well enough on guitar and drums, adding a little bit of zest to their delivery, particularly on the out-chorus fills. Elsewhere, you'll find quaint hostility in the lyrics; "if you have an opinion, maybe you should shove it." This introductory serving of the new Paramore is jaded and lowkey adversarial. "The News" tries its hand at more outwardly political commentary than the band's employed in years past, but with the intellectual depth of a Three Days Grace song; "Every second, our collective heart breaks. All together, every single head shakes." It hones in on a warranted sense of despair and disapproval, but offers no solutions, seemingly opting instead to just wallow in the tragedy.
"Running Out of Time" is probably one of the few fun tracks on here. Williams gives a more vivacious performance on the chorus and the instrumental has a bit of bite and spank to it. "You First" follows a similar mold, treating the listener to a bouncy composition and playful, catchy hooks. "Figure 8" meanwhile relies on tight production and well-executed vocal layering to create one of the brighter sounding cuts on the album. "Liar" glides in on glassy and subdued guitars, with Hayley's graceful and tender croons carrying the chorus.
The rest of the album is honestly kind of boring and even funny to watch unfold at times. Some of the cuts here play like B-sides from Williams' solo projects, even copy and pasting her overly rudimentary and borderline unflattering vocal tones and tendencies. "Big Man, Little Dignity" is probably the biggest offender in that regard. What saves
This Is Why from being a lot worse than it could have been is the diverse range of talents of its starring frontwoman and a newfound sense of continuity that gives the album a bit of ebb and flow. If Paramore had tried reaching back for their mall punk roots, this could have been a lot messier.
That said,
Brand New Eyes and
Paramore remain their best albums; the former a culmination of their squarely pop punk palette, the latter a beautifully crafted marriage of that with smartly streamlined pop rock sensibilities. In spite of their ever-evolving identity, they manage to still be unabashedly Paramore. Whether or not that's still enough is up in the air. Their legacy status might have garnered them enough fans who will mindlessly lap up anything they concoct, but regimes fall every day, and so can yours when your armor is made of petals.
