Paramore established itself fifteen years ago as one of the living forces of pop punk and emo rock. Five years after a frankly more pop fifth album, the stars seemed well aligned for the Nashville group to take the opportunity to make a muscular comeback on a scene revitalized by young Generation Z rockers like Olivia Rodrigo or Willow Smith. But Hayley Williams and her gang had other ideas in mind.
Rest assured, Paramore has not softened and still draws on its source of anger and indignation, but with the maturity of musicians who have passed the threshold of their thirties. We hear it from the first notes of This Is Why, title track placed at the top of the group’s new songbook. Brian Robert Jones’ bass is funky as hell, Taylor York’s guitar accents, which appear in successive layers, are rich and inventive, all this supported by Zac Farro’s fluid and complex drumming. In short, we are talking about the work of accomplished artisans, who are not there to copy a recipe.
However, there was no question of throwing overboard everything that characterized Paramore – that’s also gaining in maturity. The choruses are still very catchy, this is the case with This Is Why, but also of the newsa piece of rock bravery that promises to be hard-hitting on stage, just like the dapper and imaginative Running Out of Time.
After the indie-rock of You FirstParamore dives with Figure 8a song at the gates of post-prog with the bassoon of its hovering intro, its deconstructed rhythm and the tension of its electro arrangements.
Obviously, impossible to ignore the exceptional voice of Hayley Williams, especially highlighted in Liar And Tick Skulltwo superb ballads which animate the B side of the LP, a charming conclusion to this remarkable creative effort by Paramore.
Rock
This Is Why
Paramore
Atlantic Records/Warner Music