After a five-year hiatus, Tennessee trio Paramore have returned as gritty as ever. This time, though, the music has a more expansive and – dare we say it? – mature tone. The new approach is immediately evident on This Is Why’s title track, while ‘Running Out Of Time’ is even more elaborate, with the bewitching verses giving way to rockier choruses.

While ‘Big Man Little Dignity’ trafficks in straightforward indie-rock, ‘You First’ is a heavier affair, the punchy lyrics and intense vocals adding to the urgent feel. Elsewhere, the gorgeously melodramatic ‘Figure 8’ is reminiscent of Evanescence; soft guitars and harp underline the romanticism of ‘Liar’; and album standout ‘Thick Skull’ is deliciously heartbreaking.

As generation-defining as their earlier work might be, This Is Why is Paramore’s finest album yet.

9/10

Out now