On October 6, the alternative rock band Paramore released Re: This Is Why. The twelve track album contains remixed and reworked tracks from the band’s album This Is Why, which was released earlier this year in February.
The band invited artists of different genres to join them on this release. The band Foals tackles the title track, “This Is Why.” Foals’ remix adds a heavy synth to the back of the track, updating the original song into more of a dance track.
“The News” is handled by The Linda Lindas. It doesn’t stray too far from the original song and includes vocals from The Linda Lindas on the chorus. Compared to the rest of the remixes and reworks on this album, this version of “The News” sounds comparably the same to the original song.
Panda Bear, best known as being the front man of the band Animal Collective, completely reworks “Running Out Of Time” with new lyrics and a completely different backing beat. It sounds like a totally new song.
Radio DJ Zane Lowe remixes “Running Out Of Time.” Different from Panda Bear’s soft, ambient sounding version, Lowe’s version sounds like something heard at a nightclub. Both versions completely transform the original into something totally new and refreshed.
“C’est Comme Ça” is re-recorded by band Wet Leg. The instrumentation of the song is the same as the original, but sounds entirely different at the same time. It can only be described as being a more hardcore version of the original song.
Musical duo DOMi & JD Beck turn “Big Man, Little Dignity” into a drumbeat and synth song, straying pretty far from the original. The original recording is soft, while this version is much more upbeat with the addition of the drums.
“You First” recorded by Remi Wolf lyrically challenges the original song. Wolf sings from the perspective of the ‘animal’ that is being referred to in the original recording. This is the strongest remix on the entire album, giving a totally new perspective to the original.
Bartees Strange remixes “Figure 8,” turning it into a slow, reverbed version of the original recording. Paramore’s lead singer Hayley Williams’ voice is pitched down, which really changes the tone of the song.
Romy adds a subtle touch to “Liar.” The original recording is a soft ballad, whereas in this version, Romy adds an ethereal touch to the song that completely changes the atmosphere surrounding Hayley Williams’ original lyrics.
“Crave” is another song that was not changed too much compared to the original song. Recorded by Claud, it doesn’t feel like a cover, but more of a brand new interpretation of the original song.
Julien Baker of boygenius fame adds a heavier touch to “Thick Skull,” rounding out the remixed and reworked songs. The guitar is more amplified compared to the original, but still resonates in a similar fashion to the original recording.
“Sanity(demo)” is the last track included on Re: This Is Why. It could have fit anywhere on the original This Is Why album. The band did not give any explanation as to why it was not included on the original track listing, but it is a great addition nonetheless.
Overall, Re: This Is Why is an interesting take on a remix album. Paramore did a great job collaborating with a diverse palette of artists. It gives some of the lesser known artists on the album great exposure to Paramore’s large fan base.
