Paramore, “The News” | Track Review 🎵

Grammy-winning alternative band Paramore returns with “The News,” the second single from their sixth studio album, This Is Why.

“So, I turn on the news / Turn off the news.” After a five-year hiatus, 🎙 Paramore (Hayley Williams, Taylor York, and Zac Farro) returned in 2022! The comeback began with the spirited single, 🎵 “This Is Why”, the first piece of the puzzle from their 2023 album, 💿 This Is Why.  Now the Hayley Williams-fronted, 🏆 Grammy-winning collective returns with the set’s second single, 🎵 “The News”.

The premise of “The News” is obvious from the onset and relatable.  There is a lot of bad news going down in the world, and escaping it, via television, via the internet, so on and so forth, is difficult.  Per Paramore, it is not only the news itself that is disturbing and troubling, but it is also the MEDIA.  In the bridge, Williams labels media as “Exploitative, performative / Informative and we don’t know the half of it.”  Everyone has been impacted by the news and some of that, at least, is attributed to the negative side of media.  Specifically, the band references the war between Russian and Ukraine.  In the chorus, Hayley Williams sings, “Every second, our collective heart breaks / All together, every single head shakes / Shut your eyes, but it won’t go away / Turn on, turn off the news.” Woo! Beyond the theme and lyrics, the music is energetic, with ripe guitar, robust bass, and a thrilling groove established by the drums.

Final Thoughts 💭 

Paramore are on fire! 🎵 “The News” gives the alternative collective another respectable single released in advance of This Is Why. It benefits from its theme and lyrics, assertive vocals from Hayley Williams, and an energetic backdrop. It is not the second coming, and the media has been a talking point for some time, but it works.

🎙 Paramore • 💿 This Is Why • 🏷 Atlantic • 🗓 2.10.22

[📷: Atlantic, Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]