Through recognizing their musical inspirations and their own influence on popular music, Paramore does more than elevating their previous work — they extend an invitation for smaller artists to step into the spotlight.
“Re: This Is Why,” released Oct. 6, is Paramore’s first “almost” remix album. Remix albums traditionally include remixes or re-recorded versions of an artist’s previous work. The band’s reimagining of “This Is Why” not only remixes each track but includes collaborations with 11 eclectic artists and groups, including artists like Remi Wolf, Wet Leg and Zane Lowe.
In their album release announcement, Paramore explains their desire to “recognize the connection” they share with the artists who influence their work and those influenced by their work. By including a collaboration on almost every track, excluding the bonus demo of “Sanity,” the band invites a community of artists to make this project their own. In this way, the original album is a blank canvas for the collaborators to paint on.
The artists are not merely featured on “Re: This Is Why;” they are an active part of the production and performance. This is a shared project between Paramore, the collaborators and their eager fans. The ingenuity with which each track is reworked, rewritten or remixed displays Paramore’s creative ambition and their security in their own sound. The group doesn’t relinquish their creative control; rather, they allow for a distinctive and widely diverse range of styles and voices to be heard.
This album keeps you on your toes. The opening track, “This Is Why (Re: Foals),” introduces the listener to their new inventive concept. The track is two minutes longer than the original, and for good reason. Lead singer Hayley Williams performs in a lower register, accompanied by an electronic beat absent in the original track. Foals joins her in the second half of the song with a scream-shout climactic ending. The additional length ensures the collaborator’s contribution does not go unnoticed. The crescendo of energy within “This Is Why (Re: Foals)” is intoxicating and packs a much greater punch than the original. If I were to star in a Lizzie-McGuire-style ’00s coming-of-age film, I would request this be my opening track. I can picture the glitter eyeshadow, low-rise jeans and crimped hair now.
In my opinion, the album’s standout tracks are “Running Out Of Time (Re: Panda Bear),” “Figure 8 (Re: Bartees Strange)” and “Thick Skull (Re: Julien Baker).” There are actually two renditions of “Running Out of Time” on the album — the other is a collaboration with Zane Lowe. In Lowe’s version, the track contains no vocals. With Panda Bear, the song is rewritten as a duet, less energetic than the original one. Instead of Paramore’s characteristic soulful rock, the track contains more synthetic pop and alternative influences.
By contrast, “Figure 8 (Re: Bartees Strange)” is reworked instead of rewritten. Even with the same language, the rearrangement of the verses and inclusion of Bartees Strange changes the track entirely. Williams doesn’t even sing. Nevertheless, the track still screams Paramore. Their influence on the indie-rock scene is so vast that they can give their song away completely and still be found in its rhythm.
In “Thick Skull (Re: Julien Baker),” her indie-folk influence is apparent. Like “Figure 8 (Re: Bartees Strange),” this track is essentially a cover of the Paramore original.
On this project, Paramore includes artists that are up-and-coming or actively overlooked. Foals has the largest following with 3.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify, while Bartees Strange has the least with 205.7 thousand. With Paramore’s 20.9 million monthly listeners, “Re: This Is Why” is a platform to highlight artists they think are worthy of more attention.
Paramore formed in 2004 and has continued to grow and excel throughout their career. After attending their “This is Why” tour in May, I can confidently confirm the maturity and wisdom of their new music. Paramore is confident in their sound and performs with grace and energy. With 20 years under their belt, it seems the group is ready to mentor the next generation.
There is a song for everyone on “Re: This Is Why” and therefore an artist for everyone to discover. I am not only grateful to Paramore for their creative ambition and relentless commitment to artistic exploration but for introducing me to a group of artists I had yet to discover. Even if you are not a Paramore fan, “Re: This Is Why” is a must-listen. I promise there will be something that hits the spot.
