Albums to watch

This Is Why

Paramore

This Is Why

Sixth album and first in six years from the Tennessee pop punk / emo band produced by Carlos de la Garza (The Linda Lindas, Best Coast,Bad Religion)

ADM rating[?]

8.4

Label
Atlantic
UK Release date
10/02/2023
US Release date
10/02/2023
  1. 10.0 |   DIY

    Their most ambitious album yet
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  2. 10.0 |   NME

    The trio's clear-eyed and powerful sixth album encapsulates their journey to becoming a generation-defining band
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  3. 10.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Whatever preconceptions you might have about the nostalgic emo revival, Paramore have risen above the period to new plains
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  4. 10.0 |   God Is In The TV

    An unfaltering album that not once misses a beat, and it’s clear that as the band’s members have matured; so has the music, rising above the infighting and struggles of the Paramore of the past to create something magical
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  5. 10.0 |   Dork

    Both an evolution and a revolution true to who they are, that constant motion never fails to hit the spot
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  6. 10.0 |   Upset

    A record of hope, fear, change and growth, it’s a powerful reminder of the need to keep moving forward
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  7. 9.0 |   Exclaim

    Paramore have once again delivered an album that shows that they cannot be placed in a box, and have shown us that this is why they've been able to maintain such continued success and longevity
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  8. 9.0 |   Clash

    An outstanding return from a much-loved group
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  9. 9.0 |   All Music

    It often feels like every Paramore album marks a new beginning for the band. Just when you think they've hit an artistic plateau, they take another creative leap into the unknown, only to return with what feels like a deeper, more heartfelt statement of who they are
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  10. 9.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Like all good jangling indie bops, beneath the fluctuations of chipper notes swims a dark underbelly, and This Is Why relishes in this fact
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  11. 8.0 |   The Independent

    Hayley Williams shouts lines like protest slogans on a sixth album that unravels the myriad contradictions of modern life
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  12. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    The pop-punk band have progressed from teenage bile to thirtysomething angst, expressed with agitated drumming, angular guitars, big riffs and heartfelt lyrics
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  13. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    The Tennessee guitar pop band’s sixth album ranges from volcanic energy to slower tracks that suggest an appealing maturity
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  14. 8.0 |   Kerrang!

    Truly emphasising how far they’ve come since emo’s heyday, these songs have as much (or more) in common with alt.pop icons like HAIM, Alanis Morissette or Fiona Apple as even they do with even Paramore’s poppiest ‘rock’ contemporaries like Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco
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  15. 8.0 |   Rolling Stone

    This Is Why is Paramore’s excellent foray into post-punk, riddled with a new set of anxieties — from witnessing global events to dealing with entering your thirties.
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  16. 8.0 |   Under The Radar

    Suffers slightly from front-loading imbalance. The back half of the album feels tonally different from the front, more personal and relational and coming closer to their pop punk root
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  17. 7.5 |   Spectrum Culture

    This is Why takes a broad spectrum of ideas and keeps them in tension with each other. The past faces the future, the personal rubs against the political, confidence depicts uncertainty
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  18. 7.2 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    A worthy if mildly disappointing addition to Paramore's canon
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  19. 7.1 |   Paste Magazine

    On their first album in nearly six years, the Tennessee trio traverses pop-punk, New Wave, and various other stylings with cohesion and flair
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  20. 7.0 |   No Ripcord

    Having proven themselves time and time again, they've far outpaced those unwilling to grow up with them
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  21. 6.3 |   Pitchfork

    Hayley Williams and co. pivot to jittery, crackling post-punk on their sixth album, but the monotone vocals and political lyrics don’t always play to their strengths
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  22. 6.0 |   The FT

    One of emo’s defining bands return to their roots but with an added sophistication
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