After a long-teased rollout, Paramore have finally announced their sixth album (and first in over five years). It's called This Is Why, and it's due February 10 via Atlantic (pre-order). It was recorded with longtime collaborator Carlos de la Garza, and the first single is the title track, an instantly-satisfying anthem that strikes a balance between the sneering angst of early Paramore and the sharp, new wavey pop rock of After Laughter, but more than anything, it sounds like a clear step forward. It's also a song that could've only been written today, as Hayley Williams explains:
"This Is Why" was the very last song we wrote for the album. To be honest, I was so tired of writing lyrics but Taylor convinced Zac and I both that we should work on this last idea. What came out of it was the title track for the whole album. It summarizes the plethora of ridiculous emotions, the rollercoaster of being alive in 2022, having survived even just the last 3 or 4 years. You’d think after a global pandemic of fucking biblical proportions and the impending doom of a dying planet, that humans would have found it deep within themselves to be kinder or more empathetic or something.
The song comes with a video directed by Turnstile vocalist Brendan Yates, and about working with Brendan, Hayley adds, "It was so rad working with Brendan. I’ve known the Turnstile guys for a little while and was so psyched to have our worlds collide in this way. There’s a cool kinship between the way our bands do things... Hopefully we will get to play shows with them at some point." (We hope that too!)
As for what shows Paramore does currently have announced, they include the When We Were Young festival, the Corona Capital Festival, NYC's Beacon Theatre on November 13, and more, and all non-festival dates are sold out. All dates are listed below.
Talking to Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 about the new album, Hayley said:
I think that's what was so exciting about any type of influence that we've grown up with, which I think is probably a bit more wide span than some fans would even realize, just because of the scene that we ended up being such a big part of. We were able to really lean into some of those earliest influences where a lot of electro clash and stuff that had a lot of groove, but it was really aggressive. I don't know, I love Dev Hynes' journey because he was in Test Icicles, and then you listen to what he's doing now and all the artists that he's worked with. And that's the kind of artist that we want to be considered as. Zac plays some of his most aggressive stuff on this record and it was so... I was freaking out to be watching it in the studio because we hadn't seen it in a minute. And yet, like you said, there's some beautiful restraint that I think shows up in all of us in different parts that really allows other things to speak. And yeah, it was just such a cool... This was such a cool experiment, really.
And she also added more about working with Brendan from Turnstile:
Dude... So I was so geeked out because we all as a band, the entire touring band, all of us, we went to see them play. We went to see a lot of bands, but we got to see their set at ‘This Aint No Picnic’ in Pasadena. And it was so exciting for me because I've been listening to them for a while, but watching my best friends really see what they're about and get it and love it was so... I was just really jazzed about that. And then to work with Brendan... Well, it's also amazing because Zac directs as well. And they have a great language together. But I just, man... That's one of the best bands in the world right now. And it's really cool that you can feel that Turnstile fingerprint on the video that we've made for ‘This is Why’. And Brendan was really... he was great about letting us... That's my dog, sorry. He was great about letting us infuse all the meaning that we needed to bring to it. But also he had a point of view, which was really important for us too.
Paramore
Paramore -- 2022 Tour Dates October 2, 2022 - Bakersfield, CA - Mechanics Bank Theater # SOLD OUT October 4, 2022 - Magna, UT - The Great SaltAir # SOLD OUT October 6, 2022 - Omaha, NE - Orpheum Theater Omaha # SOLD OUT October 8, 2022 - Oklahoma City, OK - The Criterion # SOLD OUT October 9, 2022 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits October 11, 2022 - Chesterfield, MO - The Factory # SOLD OUT October 14, 2022 - Bonner Springs, KS - Azura Amphitheater* & SOLD OUT October 16, 2022 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits^ October 20, 2022 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern ~ SOLD OUT October 22, 2022 - Las Vegas, NV - When We Were Young Festival^ October 23, 2022 - Las Vegas, NV - When We Were Young Festival^ October 27, 2022 - Los Angeles, CA - The Belasco % SOLD OUT October 29, 2022 - Las Vegas, NV - When We Were Young Festival^ November 7, 2022 - Toronto, ON - HISTORY = SOLD OUT November 9, 2022 - Chicago, IL - The Chicago Theatre = SOLD OUT November 11, 2022 - Cincinnati, OH - The Andrew J Brady Music Center = SOLD OUT November 13, 2022 - New York City, NY - The Beacon Theatre SOLD OUT November 15, 2022 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle = SOLD OUT November 16, 2022 - St. Augustine, FL - The St. Augustine Amphitheatre =SOLD OUT November 19, 2022 - Mexico City, MX - Corona Capital Festival^
# with Claud = with Ogi & with Japanese Breakfast + Young the Giant ~ with Faux Real % with Elke ^ = festival date
