This Is Why

''This Is Why'' is the upcoming sixth studio album by American rock band Paramore, set to be released on February 10, 2023, through Atlantic Records. It is the band's first album in nearly six years, following ''After Laughter'' (2017), as well as their first album to feature the same line-up as its predecessor. The album's lead single "This Is Why" was released alongside the album announcement on September 28, 2022.

Background and recording

In May 2017, Paramore released their fifth studio album ''After Laughter'' to critical acclaim. The album saw the return of former drummer Zac Farro, who had left the band in 2010. The band toured in support of the album from June 2017 until September 2018. Following the conclusion of the After Laughter Tour, the members of Paramore took a break from writing and recording music for the band and worked on other endeavors. Hayley Williams featured on the American Football song "Uncomfortably Numb" in 2019 and released two solo albums, ''Petals for Armor'' (2020) and ''Flowers for Vases / Descansos'' (2021); the former produced by Paramore guitarist Taylor York. She also pivoted her attention more towards her hair dye company Good Dye Young and hosted the weekly BBC Sounds series ''Everything Is Emo''. Farro continued his ongoing project HalfNoise, releasing an extended play – ''Flowerss'' (2018) – and two albums – ''Natural Disguise'' (2019) and ''Motif'' (2021). Farro also recorded drums for the songs "Watch Me While I Bloom" and "Crystal Clear" from Williams' ''Petals for Armor'' and released an EP under his own name titled ''Zafari'' (2020).

Discussion about a sixth Paramore album began in 2020 while Williams was promoting ''Petals for Armor''. Williams hinted that the band's next album would be more guitar-driven, stating, "We've found ourselves listening to a lot of older music that we grew up being inspired by." She further commented on the sound of the album in 2022, likening it to Bloc Party: “From day one, Bloc Party was the number one reference because there was such an urgency to their sound that was different to the fast punk or the pop punk or the like, loud wall of sound emo bands that were happening in the early 2000s.” In January 2022, the band confirmed they had entered the studio work on their sixth album.

Release and promotion

In September 2022, Paramore archived all posts on their official Instagram page and unveiled a new design for the website. The site featured a timeline of several dates throughout the month that would be updated each date. These dates saw the launch of the band's official Discord server, the announcement of new tour dates in Los Angeles and New York City, and video snippets of the band working on new material. On September 16, the band announced their first new single in four years, "This Is Why", which was released on September 28. The same day as the single's release, the band announced the album of the same name to be released on February 10, 2023. Paramore performed the single on ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' on November 4, 2022. On December 8, 2022, the band released the second single, " The News". The band is set to embark on a brief fall tour beginning in October 2022, including headlining slots at the Austin City Limits and When We Were Young festivals. The band later announced a South American leg of the tour, set to begin in March 2023.

Track listing

All tracks written by Hayley Williams, Taylor York, and Zac Farro. All tracks produced by Carlos de la Garza.

Personnel

Paramore
* Hayley Williams – vocals, backing vocals, percussion, piano, composition
* Taylor York – backing vocals, glockenspiel, guitar, keyboards, programming, vibraphone, composition
* Zac Farro – backing vocals, drums, glockenspiel, keyboards, percussion, programming, vibraphone, composition

Additional musicians
* Carlos de la Garza – production, backing vocals
* Brian Robert Jones – bass guitar
* Henry Solomon – bass clarinet, clarinet, flute
* Phil Danyew – glockenspiel, keyboards, programming

Technical
* Em Mancini – mastering
* Manny Marroquin – mixing
* Harriet Tam – engineering
* Kyle McAulay – engineering assistance
* Patrick Kehrier – engineering assistance
* Scott Moore – engineering assistance
* Joey Mullen – drum technician
* Erik Bailey – guitar technician
* Joanne Almeida – guitar technician

Artwork
* Zachary Gray – photography

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:This Is Why
2023 albums
Albums produced by Carlos de la Garza (music producer)
Atlantic Records albums
Paramore albums
Upcoming albums