Paramore released the title track “This Is Why” off of their highly anticipated new album on September 28. After a five-year hiatus, the American rock band is back with a new sound and a fresh outlook. The full album will drop on February 10, 2023.

The band hasn’t released music as a group since 2017’s After Laughter, which featured the hit track “Hard Times.” During the break, frontman Hayley Williams worked on solo projects, including her 2020 album Petals for Armor.

Paramore rose to fame in the mid-2000s, gaining notoriety for their gritty sound in the rock and pop-punk genres. Since the band’s early days, their style has matured from cathartic teen anthems like “Misery Business,” but retained the powerful vocals and alternative style that put them on the map.

“This Is Why” marks a new turning point in Paramore’s discography. 

“It summarizes the plethora of ridiculous emotions, the rollercoaster of being alive in 2022, having survived even just the last three or four years,” Williams said about the song.

The track takes an introspective look at the reality of living through a global pandemic, digging into the conflicting emotions many felt during such an unprecedented event. The chorus begins “This is why I don’t leave the house / You say the coast is clear / But you won’t catch me out!” The lyrics make a nod to the restrictive stay-at-home orders during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the hostility between people in an increasingly polarized society. 

Despite the subject material, “This Is Why” remains punchy and upbeat. There’s no doubt Paramore’s loyal fanbase will have the song on repeat, but it remains to be seen how the rest of the music world will react to the band’s comeback.

Photos Courtesy of Paramore, Atlantic Records

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