This Is Why
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PARAMORE – THIS IS WHY – ALBUM REVIEW
Some six years have passed since Paramore released their previous record ‘After Laughter’. A lot has happened in the intervening time and the world is a different place now, a this is reflected in their new record, ‘This Is Why’, which is their most mature offering yet.
Speculation and conjecture over the last few years attempted to deduce the sonic composition of Paramore’s next album. Would guitars become more prominent? Would singer Hayley Williams solo direction impact on the band? Well, Williams herself offered Bloc Party as a heavy influence and on the first half of this album that is clear for all to hear.
With their recent releases Paramore have shown that they are far greater than their simplistic pop-punk beginnings, although many fans will always clamour for a return to that style. The band have certainly found themselves entrenched in those circles again through recent festival appearances, but alas those fans will be left unfilled by ‘This Is Why’.
The answers to the above questions are probably a little of everything. This is distinctly a modern Paramore record, and one that isn’t afraid to dig into some wide-ranging influences. The biggest influence (sans Bloc Party!) though may be their own musical identity. This feels like perhaps the most honest album yet from the band, unshackled and ready to fully explore themselves.
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The second half of the album particularly feels like a band testing what they are capable of when they work outside the confines of their own past. This being a relatively short album at thirty-six minutes, the listening experience is succinct and the delivery precise. There are tracks that will flourish live such as the title track and ‘The News’, but there is also plenty to dissect here beyond the obvious.
This is one of those albums that deserves your undivided attention, just stick in your head phones, close your eyes and enjoy a band mastering their craft.
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