Break ‘The News’: Paramore Release Their Second New Single

Three months after the release of their snappy, groove-angst-filled ‘This is Why’, Paramore return with their second powerhouse single, ‘The News’. After four long months of anticipation trailing a “leaked” snippet on the band’s discord, ‘The News’ is finally ours in its glorious entirety.

And it’s everything we hoped it would be. With the relentless driving force of their third album ‘Brand New Eyes’ (2009) and the angst-soaked heaviness of 2013’s self-titled ‘Paramore’, ‘The News’ confirms the band’s latest reinvention to be a flawless blend of familiar, much-adored elements from their earlier discography with a fiery new-80's groove. 

Between frontwoman Hayley Williams’s emotion-ridden belt, Taylor York’s hypnotic, siren-like guitar melody, and Zac Farro’s frantic drumming, the band is constantly in a state of emergency.

‘The News’ attacks the never-ending conflict and unsettling of the world caused by modern society and the uncertainty of the future. In a battle between civilian and media, Williams depicts the clash between resentment towards the issues reported on the news with an instilled sense of fear, portraying a feeling of claustrophobia due to the unyielding media presence. Behind the anger of the instrumentation, a sense of helplessness runs deep with Williams singing the idea of being a bystander to world events (“And I feel useless behind this computer”), caught in a state of fear, unable to control what we’re exposed to in the media, and suffering self-condemnation as a result of passivity. In a statement for the press release of the song, Williams explains: “I feel a pang of guilt when I unplug to protect my headspace. The common reaction, or non-reaction, seems to be dissociation.”

‘The News’ is a call for improvement and a comment on society regarding the news’ deliverance and reception. Discussing the single with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, Williams states: “I’m praying and hoping that the perspective and the lyrics that we’re presenting is personal enough and as much with respect to everyone’s specific or potential vantage point that maybe other people can relate to it in some way that we haven’t even intended. And that’s the hopeful part of it.”

Listen to ‘The News’ now. Paramore’s sixth studio album ‘This is Why’ is set to be released on 10^th February 2023.

Elizabeth Page

Image: Posted by @paramore on Instagram (photo taken by @zacfarro)