PARAMORE – This Is Why (2024 Atlantic Records)

So here I am, sitting down to write my very first Paramore review, and this is what singer Hayley Williams has to say to me in the very first verse of the first song, “This Is Why”:

If you have an opinion,
Maybe you should shove it,
Or maybe you could scream it,
Might be best to keep it to yourself.

Well, I already started writing to here goes.  I don’t think Hayley will have an issue with my opinion in this instance.  I’ve long been a distant observer of the band, so it was finally time to check out an album.  This Is Why was the only one in stock at the local store, so this is why I bought This Is Why.

The title track demonstrates the immense talent of this trio, augmented by backing musicians.  Brian Robert Jones, one of the band’s live guitarists, plays bass for example.  Otherwise we have singer extraordinaire Hayley Williams, longtime guitarist Taylor York, and founding drummer Zac Farro.  It is Farro who immediately grabs you on the song “This Is Why”, with his complex jazzy drum beat that the song is built on.  Meanwhile, York slashes his guitar with echo, plink, and skwonk in tasty ways.  Though the song is not straightforward in construction, the verses and chorus worm their way into your brain in short order.  It’s hard to describe what is going on here, but I hear funk, psychedelia, power and pop.

Williams is one to the best singers in any genre today, and you won’t find anyone fronting a band like she does.  She possesses not only unusual power and control, but also a knack for unique expression.  “The News” exemplifies these qualities, while also giving us another crazy Zac Farro drum part.  The angry chorus seethes but also soothes.  Hayley throws everything she has into these verses.  The lyrics also resonate with this anxious age in which we live.  “Turn on, turn off the news!” she exhorts. “But I worry, and I give money, and I feel useless behind this computer,” she shares.  The chorus is the main thing though.  It scorches.

A light but bouncy and dexterous bassline grounds the third track, “Running Out of Time”.  There’s a hint of funkiness in the chorus.  This song sounds like it came from a strange era from another dimension:  the early 70s crossed with the early 80s.  You can really move to it.  I also love the call and answer vocals:  “I’m always running out of time!”  “She’s always running out of time!”

“Ç’est Comme Ça” is a fun track with spoken word verses and a bouncy chorus.  Farro keeps the beat dancy.  York uses layers of guitar to add texture.  It’s a short song and over before you know it.  The final song on side one is “Big Man, Little Dignity” which is catchier than its title.  For those who like guitar hooks, this song has a nice one with a solid bassline that rolls through.  The delicate chorus is immanently catchy, because it contrasts with the rest of song.  The whole thing is great.  A 1970s sound comes through, and the clarinets and flutes are a nice touch.  Bass clarinet too!  Unique, smooth, melodic in every direction.

“You First” brings the hard edge back.  The dissonant guitar line quickly falls into place within the ears.  It has a Cars-like vibe, but heavier.  The bass is no longer funky, but thumpy.  Always interesting though; the basslines on this album are all worth listening to.  The chorus on this song is explosive.  The combination of Hayley’s lungs and Farro’s snare drum just doubles the power.

Vibraphone opens up “Figure 8” with a bass clarinet.  It’s not a softy though.  Hayley offers biting verses, but once again when things come to the chorus, it tends to get explosive.  It’s at that point that Farro channels his clever drum parts into sheer power, and Williams pushes the limits of the mixing board with her voice.  It’s always melodic though, with the song never losing sight of itself.

“Liar” offers a respite, with delicately picked guitar lines backed by understated (but not uninteresting) drums.  Hayley’s vocals here are delicate and demonstrate her versatility.  Following this, “Crave” amps it up slightly, but also turns up the “melody” knob.  The chorus doesn’t disappoint.  What surprises is the closer “Thick Skull”, which is one of the softer songs.  Musically only, not lyrically!  “Only I know where all the bodies are buried, thought by now I’d find ’em just a little less scary.”  This song is loaded with texture:  different guitar effects, piano, percussion and of course Hayley’s diverse singing styles.

Of note, all songs are credited to the three members of Paramore, and there is no long list of high priced producers.  Paramore is a band.

This Is Why is a pretty great rock album with a foot in pop.  It works best when the band is playing it upbeat, though the slower songs may prove to be dark horses as time goes by.  The album is deceptively busy:  the hookiness makes it feel straightforward, but when you listen to the musicianship, they are not playing down to anyone.  Farro and York deserve credit for exploring non-mainstream styles in a mainstream band, while Hayley must always be commended for her excellent lyrics and absolutely stunning voice.  There are few singers like her, and that’s why she’s the focus of Paramore.  However, as stated above, Paramore is a band, and the writing and playing of everyone involved must be addressed in any review.  There’s cool stuff in these grooves.

“If you have an opinion, Maybe you should shove it?”  I don’t think I’ll keep this opinion to myself.  I think Paramore are tremendous.

4/5 stars