This Is Why is an authentic portrayal of the life of a millennial post-lockdown, trying to heal and being faced with the boredom that comes with growing up and getting better.
As opposed to the band’s previous album After Laughter, which was full of joyful sounds and aesthetics to juxtapose the more gloomy lyrics, This Is Why displays the band going back to their roots of unapologetic angst.
Vocalist Hayley Williams, 34, frequently uses monotone talk-singing throughout this album to depict the melancholia that is laced throughout the record. Unfortunately, this often leaves little room for the singer to fully display the impressive vocal range that we know she has.
The album kicks off with a strong introduction from Zac Farro on the drums, who continues to shine throughout every track on this reasonably drum-heavy album. The title track eases you in with light vocals from Hayley and a catchy chorus. Beginning the album with the line “If you have an opinion, maybe you should shove it, or maybe you could scream it” gives listeners the immediate impression that the band has something important to say on this record, ensuring they have your undivided attention from the get-go.
Just as you are beginning to theorize what kinds of political messages and realisations may be scattered throughout the album based on the lyrics of the first track, you are hit with The News. This song describes the feeling of wanting to stay informed in world events but feeling exhausted by the endless tragedies. The repetition of “a war” in the first verse replicates how it can feel sometimes to watch the news and keep up-to-date with world events. Many different bands, and artists in general, have taken a more political route in recent years. It feels as if many just do it to remain “relevant” and to appear in touch with the general public, and few do it simply because it is something that they are genuinely passionate about. I believe Paramore to be one of the latter few, but this song was lacking in any hard-hitting messages that we have not already heard plenty of times at this point and I would have liked to see them push it a bit further.
Running Out Of Time depicts the feeling of anxiety that comes with comparing your own progress and achievements with others who seem as if they are far ahead of you, both in the lyrics and in the music itself. The quick-tempo drumbeat is reminiscent of a heartbeat speeding up and the low vocals in the verses build further on this feeling of anxiety. The lyricism on this track in particular is an excellent example of the band’s talent for bringing humour and sarcasm into the more gloomy topics.
In comparison, the repetitive chorus in C’est Comme Ça leaves much to be desired, but this may well be an intentional choice to represent how repetitive a mundane life can feel. The track makes up for it with a strong drumbeat and a catchy riff and the fact that it is likely the most relatable song on the album, as many people have found post-lockdown that healing can unfortunately be incredibly boring.
Once we approach the second half of the album, we finally get to hear Hayley flex her phenomenal vocal ability, with her angelic falsetto sound in Liar and the way she floats between highs and lows with ease on Thick Skull. This later part of the record feels overall vulnerable, with more personal details of the complexity of self-healing rather than the more general world issues that are discussed in the earlier half.
Thick Skull is a slow yet raw and emotional ending for the album. If you were hoping to come out of This Is Why with any sense of comfort or closure, you will likely be disappointed. The song appears to describe a person with a need to try and fix the people around them whilst continuously making the same mistakes in their own life.
Although we end on a low note, sometimes it is enough comfort to know that others are experiencing similar struggles to you. This Is Why is an album filled with unease and anxiety, which is exactly what many of us need right now.
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