Growing up with Paramore means growing tired with Paramore, because life as a millennial (and any age demographic onward for that matter..) in all of adulting’s stages of pain are guaranteed to test your human endurance levels. This Is Why, the first album from Hayley Williams, Taylor York and Zac Farro in six years, is very much informed by that and the desire to go inside rather than subjecting yourself to the world’s headache, giving it a polarity where the latter manifests in razor-toothed post-punk inspired by early Aughts post-punk and a headphones-demanding closeup with the former on par with Williams’ emo art-pop experimental solo efforts released during the pandemic. The curtains in the room may be drawn and it may reveal dimmer color waves that they brought forward on 2016′s After Laughter, but in all its frustrating exhales and sighs, Paramore’s elder emo status continues to create sophisticated flourishes from where they stand today.

Highlights: “This Is Why”, “You First”, “Crave”

Paramore’s This Is Why will be released February 10th on Atlantic Records.

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