The band Paramore is back! Paramore is a pop-punk band that was formed in 2004,originally formed by the members, Hayley Willaims, Zac Farro, Josh Farro, and Jeremy Davis. The band now consists of Hayley Williams, Zac Farro, and Taylor York. In September Paramore surprised the world with the exciting announcement that they would be releasing a new album after their 5-year hiatus. The last album they released was “After Laughter” in 2018, including songs like “Hard Times” and “Fake Happy.” Their new album, “This is Why,” was released on February 10th of this year, including the singles “This is Why,” “The News,” and “C’est Comme Ça.” 

The hiatus began after the end of the “After Laugher” tour in 2018. The band stated the reason for their temporary break-up was to take time for mental health [1]. Hayley Williams, the band’s frontwoman, has been with Paramore from the start in 2004 and explains how being in the band from such a young age caused her and her fellow bandmates to grow up fast, causing them to miss out on regular teenage years [1]. While fans thought this hiatus was the end of Paramore’s members forever, the frontwoman, Hayley Willaims, was making solo music. Her albums were titled “Petals for Armor,” released in 2020, and “FLOWERS for VASES/descansos,” released in 2021. Also during this break, Williams found a new sound for herself with a pop, funk-beat, and lyrics that are destined to make you cry.

Their new album, “This is Why,” explores a new funky sound that includes cool guitar tones and a good baseline. Hayley Willaims, the band’s lead singer explores new ideas of self worth through her lyricism; it is like lying to yourself about not loving someone which she explores in the song “Liar”, or about being broken and learning to live through it, which appears in the song “Thick Skull”. Paramore still, however, holds on to some of their pop-punk roots with their pop influences on songs like “C’est Comme Ça.” The song “The News” is very reminiscent of songs that were released during their times as a pop-punk band as well. Furthermore, the song explores media censorship through a guitar heavy song with a very intense drum line, which gives it a similar sound and feel to songs like “Ignorance,” which was released on “Brand New Eyes” back in 2009. Their first single, “This is Why,” explores ideas about feeling unequal in a relationship and is a song where Williams vents her feelings to the band’s fanbase, and to herself. This was a efficient way to introduce the album because all the lyrics in the album feel more personal than lyrics of Paramore’s past albums 

Overall Paramore’s comeback was very well done because of how they surprised fans and got them excited. Their newest album, “This is Why,” is an album worth listening to in one’s spare time for a relaxing change of tempo.

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/sep/29/paramore-hayley-williams-this-is-why-interview