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Critic Reviews
100
The trio's clear-eyed and powerful sixth album encapsulates their journey to becoming a generation-defining band.
3y
100
Whatever preconceptions you might have about the nostalgic emo revival, Paramore have risen above the period to new plains.
3y
100
For anyone who thought that Paramore would confine themselves to that same space on their sixth, it’s time to think again. ‘This Is Why’ boasts another bold and brilliant transformation for the trio.
3y
100
It’s a record that not only evolves, but yet again reinvents the sound of Paramore ... A record of hope, fear, change and growth, it’s a powerful reminder of the need to keep moving forward.
3y
100
It’s a band who can read the zeitgeist before it truly hits, understanding why that post-millennium glamour and gritty tension might be the best tool to carve open the complex, brutal reality of an anxious new world of culture wars and unkindness.
3y
100
The album has been perfectly designed for those who grow up with the Nashville outfit’s pop-punk blaring in their ears for the duration of their school years, who are now dealing with the realities of the real world, and if Riot was an album of teenage angst, then This is Why is an album for adult agression.
3y
90
Just when you think they've hit an artistic plateau, they take another creative leap into the unknown, only to return with what feels like a deeper, more heartfelt statement of who they are. With This Is Why, Paramore underline that notion, pulling the artistic and emotional threads of their career into a cohesive, ardent whole.
3y
90
As generation-defining as their earlier work might be, This Is Why is Paramore’s finest album yet.
6mo
90
Vital, urgent and utterly fearless, Paramore's This Is Why is the sound of a grown band boldly defining their own path.
8mo
90
The playfulness of After Laughter is here, as well as the determined fighting spirit of their earlier albums and the edge of Williams’ solo work. But there are new ingredients, too, which make for compelling listening. This is very intelligent songwriting.
3y
90
‘Thick Skull’ is a considerably harder listen with no lovely resolution in sight, but as Williams luxuriates, trudges through lessons not learned, “come on, give it to me”, Paramore admit they’ve not figured it all out – and leave us ready for them to grow more.
3y
90
With This Is Why, the trio returns, expanding their sonic identity even further and crafting a record deeply rooted in post-punk and art punk traditions.
3y
90
Like all good jangling indie bops, beneath the fluctuations of chipper notes swims a dark underbelly, and This Is Why relishes in this fact. It’s a freeing exercise in being able to dance away the stress and even embrace the romantic side of life throughout it all (“Liar”), which, in a world, hell-bent on eating itself is certainly needed.
3y
80
The pop-punk band have progressed from teenage bile to thirtysomething angst, expressed with agitated drumming, angular guitars, big riffs and heartfelt lyrics.
3y
80
Six albums into their career, Paramore prove once again why they're still one of music's most important voices.
2y
80
This Is Why in a strange position; arguably a very good album, but one that feels as if it doesn’t play to PARAMORE’s strengths quite as much in its drive to experiment, and one that only pays off partially.
3y
80
From 2005's "All We Know Is Falling" to 2023's "This Is Why", PARAMORE's sound has hugely evolved, starting with strict alt-rock and morphing into pop-punk, power pop, emo and beyond. While some fans may miss the "Riot"-era PARAMORE, there's something to be respected about a band that's hungry for change and growth.
3y
80
The Tennessee guitar pop band’s sixth album ranges from volcanic energy to slower tracks that suggest an appealing maturity.
3y
80
Paramore's sixth album continues to evolve their sound, proving they are far from a legacy band.
3y
80
Paramore have successfully remoulded the cornerstones of their music not only for the new times we find ourselves in, but also for a personal evolution,and maturity evident across This Is Why.
3y
80
This Is Why, like After Laughter, suffers slightly from front-loading imbalance. The back half of the album feels tonally different from the front, more personal and relational and coming closer to their pop punk roots.
3y
80
Tennessee titans Paramore ponder life, love and what we lose as the world grows louder on striking sixth album This Is Why.
3y
80
This is why This is Why is Paramore's best album to date.
3y
80
Listening to their sixth studio album This is Why, 13 years on, it’s striking to reflect on how much Paramore have changed. This is an album filled with bops, markedly more pop than punk, although there remains an alternative edge.
3y
80
Hayley Williams shouts lines like protest slogans on a sixth album that unravels the myriad contradictions of modern life.
3y
80
Their latest proves that grown up life is in 2023 is just as brutal as teen angst.
3y
75
This is Why takes a broad spectrum of ideas and keeps them in tension with each other. The past faces the future, the personal rubs against the political, confidence depicts uncertainty.
3y
72
A worthy if mildly disappointing addition to Paramore's canon.
3y
71
On their first album in nearly six years, the Tennessee trio traverses pop-punk, New Wave, and various other stylings with cohesion and flair.
3y
70
Having proven themselves time and time again, they've far outpaced those unwilling to grow up with them.
3y
63
Hayley Williams and co. pivot to jittery, crackling post-punk on their sixth album, but the monotone vocals and political lyrics don’t always play to their strengths.
3y
60
The pickings thin out afterwards – vaporous closer Thick Skull practically dissolves – but not before Paramore assert a slick, strident case for their longevity.
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3y
Poppin my Paramussy
Paramore, the Tennessee rock act most notable for being one of the most quintessential bands of the mid 2000’s pop-punk and emo scene has been at it for nearly TWENTY YEARS now. That’s weird to think about because I’ve always seen them as a very young band. I think a huge part of that is because, while other bands they came up with broke up, are no longer getting mainstream attention, or quite simply stopped making good music, Paramore still feels like a ... read more
Get your faces away from the window you absolute baboons.
TW: depression, anxiety, The Shadow Man
Paramore have always been a band that I admired, bringing substantive, emotional Pop Rock with consistently fantastic musicianship and heartfelt lyrics that just made them one of the few bands to not only last from the 2000s, but pretty much constantly got better as time went on, and while I absolutely love much from this era, it’s very hard to name bands who were born from, survived and ... read more
One of the most unique takes on the indie rock sound. It’s funky, it’s kinda post punk at some times too. I really enjoy it, literally every track here is crazy good. Hayley’s lyricism gets much more lyrically mature here too, going on some big societal issues like she’s been talking about in interviews forever now. It’s great though, one of my favorite lyricist ever. And it really shows here, again. I love how tight they sound, it’s a very well put together ... read more
Some of their most interesting and unique song structures to-date, with catchy choruses and great songwriting.
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Track List
| 1 | This Is Why 3:26 | 91 |
| 2 | The News 3:07 | 88 |
| 3 | Running Out Of Time 3:12 | 88 |
| 4 | C’est Comme Ça 2:29 | 76 |
| 5 | Big Man, Little Dignity 4:20 | 84 |
| 6 | You First 4:05 | 86 |
| 7 | Figure 8 3:24 | 86 |
| 8 | Liar 4:21 | 83 |
| 9 | Crave 3:55 | 85 |
| 10 | Thick Skull 3:52 | 88 |
Total Length: 36 minutes
Year End Lists
| #4 | / | Coup De Main |
| #4 | / | RIFF |
| #5 | / | God Is In The TV |
| #5 | / | NME |
| #6 | / | Rolling Stone |
| #7 | / | Dork |
| #8 | / | Distorted Sound |
| #8 | / | Rock Sound |
| #9 | / | Business Insider |
| #9 | / | DIY |
| #9 | / | The Forty-Five |
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By landlalt
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