They’re officially back: After a five-year absence from recording, alt-rock greats Paramore have announced their long-awaited return. The band revealed Friday (Sept. 16) on social media that new song “This Is Why” will be dropping on Sept. 28.
The announcement post was a brief one, consisting of just “‘This Is Why, the song. Sept 28,” along with a pre-save link and an accompanying image, likely the song’s cover art. That image — of the trio with their faces pressed up against a condensation-soaked window — had been teased individually by each of the group members via their new Instagram profile pictures, leading to fan speculation about the band’s new era.
No further information has yet been confirmed about the song — or whether it will precede a new album, the band’s first since 2017’s acclaimed After Laughter — but Paramore did announce a new tour in July, taking them through North America in October and November. It’s the band’s first live dates since the trek that followed After Laughter in 2018, though frontwoman Hayley Williams made a memorable appearance at this year’s Coachella to sing the group’s breakthrough hit “Misery Business” with headliner Billie Eilish.
Paramore have released five albums in their nearly two-decade career, with their 2013 self-titled album debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and spawning two top 25 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: “Still Into You” (No. 24) and “Ain’t It Fun” (No. 10). After Laughter peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, and generated the group’s 11th career Hot 100 hit with “Hard Times” (No. 90).
