Paramore made a crashing comeback with the sardonic “This Is Why,” the lead single and title track from their forthcoming album arriving in February. The unhinged, TikTok-viral performances have been helping as well, whether they’re protesting the Don’t Say Gay law in Florida or keeping their humor intact while trying to break up a fight in the crowd.
They’re finally back today with the second This Is Why single, a spunky, frustrated anthem called “The News,” which was first teased on TikTok. Like “This Is Why,” it expresses irritation towards journalism, especially on the bridge when she starts something of a chant: “Exploitative, performative / Informative and we don’t know the half of it,” she deadpans. In the video, she’s seemingly hypnotized, her eyes glazed over almost in a possessed Stranger Things kind of way.
About the track, Williams explained in a press release, “‘The News is one of those songs that came together pretty quickly and felt exciting from the start. It feels like a happy medium between classic Paramore angst and bringing in some influences we’ve always had but never exploited. Watching Zac track drums for this one was one of my favorite memories from the studio. Lyrically, it probably explains itself. The 24-hr news cycle is just impossible to comprehend. And I feel a pang of guilt when I unplug to protect my headspace. The common reaction, or non-reaction, seems to be dissociation. Not one of us is innocent of that and who could blame us?”
Paramore doesn’t offer a solution to this crisis, and instead implies that it’s inescapable as Hayley Williams sings the final line of the track: “Shut your eyes, but it won’t go away / Turn on, turn off the news.” Still, it’s sonically invigorating and catchy through and through, quite obviously inspired by Bloc Party, which Williams stated months ago on her Everything Is Emo podcast.
Watch the video for “The News” above.
This Is Why is out 2/10/2023 via Atlantic. You can pre-save it here.
Paramore is a Warner Music artist. .
