Paramore Can’t Escape ‘The News’ on Latest ‘This Is Why’ Track

Hayley Williams confronts the never-ending hell that is the 24-hour news cycle on Paramore’s latest offering from This Is Why, “The News.”

In a statement, Williams said the fiery track “feels like a happy medium between classic Paramore angst and bringing in some influences we’ve always had but never exploited.” She singled out Zac Farro’s drumming on the song, saying that watching him record the song “was one of my favorite memories from the studio.”

As for the lyrics, Williams said the song “probably explains itself.” She continued, “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?”

“The News” also arrives with a music video, directed by Mike Kluge and Matthew DeLisi. Drawing on horror movies and thrillers, the clip finds two versions of Williams — one looking half-dead, the other done up with a 50s-style bouffant hairdo — trapped in a room with little more than a television and a camera, constantly in thrall to their disconcerting glow and allure. 

“The News” will appear on Paramore’s upcoming sixth album, This Is Why, which is set to arrive Feb. 10 via Atlantic. The record marks the band’s first in six years, following 2017’s After Laughter. Paramore will kick off a North American tour in support of the new album next spring.