I really like about half of this album but I think this is their first album that isn't an improvement on the previous one
I really like This Is Why, but I do think After Laughter is still their best. TIW dips a little for me in the back half. Still a great album overall.
That is Why doesn't resonate at all for me, not mad at it, but I'm looking forward to more of a return to form.
something in the middle of Riot and BNE will always be what i think of when I think of Paramore, but i do not necessarily think they'll ever make another album in that vein. might give the back half of their discog a run today. S/T never really hit for me but I warmed on After Laughter as time went on.
Faster tempos, Hayley belting lyrics again, a little more melody/catchiness. I don't want them to remake their pop punk sound but something new incorporating it would be great. I love every single Paramore song, 5 albums hit on every song for me, and then like I said, That Is Why is just not for me at all. I get what they went for and it's cool ya'll like it. I don't. That subtle/indie thing bores me.
It is pretty cool how This Is Why (and to some extent After Laughter), gave a reason for hipsters that hated Paramore’s early work to rejoice in a pop punk / Emo band. Now the hipsters, the Emo kids, and the Swifties love Paramore. What a time to be alive lol
I genuinely think This is Why is their best work. got it on vinyl the other day and it was a tremendous listen in that format (as it is in the digital format as well) and it really just confirmed for me how it is start-to-finish their most consistent for me. prior to TIW, I always said my favorite Paramore record was a three way tie between BNE, S/T, and AL; and that’s partly bc they all appeal to me in different moods, but also maybe even more so because I don’t think any single one of them is top-to-bottom more consistently great than the other. each has a song or two I feel isn’t quite up to par with the quality the rest of the record sets. I know it’s not even a year on from TIW but I genuinely do not feel that way about any of the songs on it; sure I have my favorites, but I think every song hits and is worthy of being someone’s favorite (yes I know the CCC haters will come for me but I think that song is a blast idc!). with the other albums, the songs I am less into I have felt largely the same about from listen #1. and also the musical style they forayed into on TIW is so unbelievably up my alley it’s unreal, I genuinely believe they tapped into something special and that it is their most impressive outing on just a musical level alone. there’s a full-band synergy throughout that just strikes me every time.
It's easily my least favourite sadly, there's only a few songs on there I really love. Hopefully the next one hits more for me.
This is in the top half of their discography for sure, and moves around a bit depending on what I’ve recently listened to. Their debut is easily their worst
It really baffles me it's not more universally beloved. No shade to anyone but it genuinely confuses me. It doesn't seem like THAT big of a departure to me, I feel like there's a disconnect somewhere, like a literal one. It seems like it gets talked about like some slow brooding album but to my ear it's so fast and loud.
It just moves more into directions I don't like as much, especially vocally. I find quite a few moments on here kind of grating in terms of vocal delivery and nothing really hits me emotionally in the way she usually often does.
It's definitely mastered lower in volume, which is one weird thing about it ... having Riot and this play back to back leads to a volume increase needed. And I think CCC's placement in the track listing is the biggest sin. It ruins the flow pretty quickly. The album, as a whole, is better than I think it gets credit for, but it has some flaws that lower it when I compare it to the rest of their catalog. I also think Hayley's two solo albums being so good (IMO) and AL being brilliant, set a high bar. I come back to those solo albums as much as anything these days.