REVIEW: Paramore's This Is Why
For kids who grew up with the explosion of the internet and the mobile phone, Paramore’s pop-punk emotional honesty has the universal appeal of tie-dye, checkerboard Vans and Hot Topic. Almost ten years after “Still Into You” and “Ain’t it Fun,” their raspy guitar lines and lead singer Hayley Williams’ cathartic choruses still scratch that itch on the inside of your ribs telling you to screw insecurity and let it all go. Paramore’s influence is easily heard today: Lil Uzi Vert ’s angsty melodies were inspired by Hayley Williams, Snail Mail’s raw soulfulness came from the sound they pioneered, and Olivia Rodrigo’s no.1 hit, the “Misery Business”-interpolating “good 4 u,” credited Paramore as writers. But Paramore’s musicality has also matured as their late 2000s-early 2010s generation fans have grown up. Their last album, 2017’s 80s rock-inspired After Laughter, was more vulnerable and reflective: acknowledging the difficulty of going commercial and existing after t...