Hear Paramore's New Album, 'This Is Why', In Australia Before Its Release Date

Following the announcement of two pop-up stores in Melbourne and Sydney to celebrate the release of Paramore's new album, This Is Why; overnight, the band unveiled plans for global listening parties before the release date.

On Monday, 6 February, fans in Melbourne and Sydney can hear the album four days before its official release date of Friday, 10 February. At 6 pm AEDT, fans can listen to This Is Why at Sydney's Red Eye Records and Melbourne's Greville Records.

Not only will fans hear This Is Why early, but the record stores will also host exclusive giveaways and have the album available for pre-order. Find more information about the listening parties on the band's website.

The pop-up stores are at Sydney's Golden Age Cinema in Surry Hills on Saturday, 11 February, from 10 am to 5 pm, and at the Oshi Gallery in Collingwood - from 12 pm to 5 pm on Sunday, 12 February.

The event is hosted by Warner Music Australia and will boast "brand new and exclusive merchandise, music and more, including items from their recent US tour merch range." Anyone who walks in the door also has the chance to win a Paramore flexi disc. Find the Facebook event page here.

Paramore are making a statement with This Is Why.

The American band returned after a lengthy hiatus in September, releasing the title track and their first new song since 2017's After Laughter (vocalist Hayley Williams put out two excellent solo albums in 2020, Petals For Armor and 2021, Flowers For Vases / Descansos).

This Is Why is an ear-worm of a track that explores a "plethora of ridiculous emotions" and "the rollercoaster of being alive in 2022". On the other hand, their latest single, The News, is pointed in commentary and drumming work.

"The News is one of those songs that came together pretty quickly and felt exciting from the start," Williams revealed in a statement. "It feels like a happy medium between classic Paramore angst and bringing in some influences we’ve always had but never exploited. Watching Zac [Farro] track drums for this one was one of my favourite memories from the studio."

Lyrically, The News tracks the incomprehensible 24-hour news cycle and the guilt we feel when we switch off to protect our mental health. Talk about relatable.

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, with long-time collaborator Carlos de la Garza, This Is Why features ten new Paramore songs with cover art shot by Zachary Gray.

Paramore performed at the inaugural When We Were Young festival last year - where fans witnessed All I Wanted's live debut.

This Is Why, Paramore's sixth album, will be released via Atlantic Records/Warner Music Australia on Friday, 10 February 2023. Pre-order the album here.