Paramore have announced details of their long-awaited sixth album – it’s called ‘This Is Why’ and you can watch the video for its title track below.
The follow-up to 2017’s ‘After Laughter’ will come out on February 10, 2023 via Atlantic, with the band returning to the stage this weekend (October 2) to begin a run of intimate North American gigs.
The new album was produced in Los Angeles by Carlos de la Garza, and will feature ten tracks, though an official tracklist is yet to be revealed.
Speaking of the album’s title track, released today (September 28), vocalist Hayley Williams said: “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 summarises 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.”
An official video for ‘This Is Why’ has also been shared, and was shot in Malibu, California and directed by Turnstile frontman Brendan Yates. Williams said: “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.”
Watch Paramore’s new video below and pre-order ‘This Is Why’ here.
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Paramore announced their new single earlier this month after a snippet of a new tune appeared on the band’s Discord channel, with another clip later emerging on TikTok. The latter preview was uploaded to an account named ‘isthiswhyisthisiswhy’.
This summer, Williams gave an update on Paramore’s sixth full-length effort, saying that it had been inspired in part by Bloc Party.
See the artwork for ‘This Is Why’ below.
Reviewing ‘This Is Why’, NME wrote: “Across five albums, Paramore have dabbled in everything from snarling post-rock and impassioned emo to shiny pop and ukulele-led ditties. Through it all, a sense of togetherness has raged and while ‘This Is Why’ sees the band continuing to break new ground, its unifying energy gives it a familiar freedom.”
Tracks from the album look set to be previewed on the band’s intimate US tour which begins in Bakersfield, California on Sunday.
See the full list of tour dates, including newly added gigs in New York and Los Angeles, below.
OCTOBER 2022
2 – Bakersfield, CA, Mechanics Bank Theater
4 – Magna, UT, The Great Salt Air
6 – Omaha, NE, Orpheum Theater
8 – Oklahoma City, OK, Criterion Theater
9 – Austin, TX, ACL Music Festival
11 – Chesterfield, MO, The Factory
13 – Bonner Springs, KS, Azura Amphitheater
16 – Austin, TX, ACL Music Festival
20 – Los Angeles, CA, The Wiltern
22 – Las Vegas, NV, When We Were Young Festival
23 – Las Vegas, NV, When We Were Young Festival
27 – Los Angeles, CA, The Belasco
29 – Las Vegas, NV, When We Were Young Festival
NOVEMBER 2022
7 – Toronto, ON, History
9 – Chicago, IL, The Chicago Theatre
11 – Cincinnati, OH, The Andrew J Brady Music Center
13 – New York, NY, Beacon Theatre
15 – Atlanta, GA, The Tabernacle
16 – St. Augustine, FL, St. Augustine Amphitheatre
19 – Mexico City, Corona Capital Festival