From stained teeth to smudged lipstick and makeup, there’s something about Paramore’s “Re: This IsWhy” that instantly feels like the perfect party. Offering an extra layer of duality to a record that was already quite profound, it’s a new look at Paramore and a new way of marketing their music, extending their comeback era with aplomb.
But when it comes to remixes more generally, everyone seems to be doing it: Demi Lovato, London Grammar, Jockstrap and even ’00s favorites Busted, who hit No. 1 last week with “Greatest Hits” 2.0, featuring a pop collaboration -punk. covers of their biggest hits such as Simple Plan, All Time Low and YouMeAtSix. The remakes are having their moment, and both artists and fans seem to be relishing the opportunity to go back and watch again.
At its core, “Paramore’s Re: This IsWhy” seems a little more intriguing than your classic remix. According to Hayley Williams, it was intended as a chance to build on all the relationships they’d developed with their influencers and touring buddies, allowing them to play within the This IsWhy universe on terms that suited them best.
While Foals, Zane Lowe and The Linda Lindas’ simpler club remixes of “This Is Why”, “Running Out Of Time” and “The News” provide entry-level fun, it’s the fresh new covers that work best. Remy Wolfe’s version of “You First” feels bright and pulsating, while “C’est Comme Ça” was so clearly inspired by Wet Leg’s deadpan delivery that it’s nice to see the torch being passed back into a chic cowbell. beating ditties.
Elsewhere, DOMi and JD Beck’s sleek Gran Turismo version of “Big Man, Little Dignity” builds on Paramore’s R&B-soul sensibilities, while Romi finds the most delicate parts of “Liar” and builds fresh dialogue, lavishing the romance of the calls. songwriting and response. Perhaps best of all is Bartis Strange’s slickly gothic take on ‘Figure 8’ – a track that he truly manages to make his own, and one that will no doubt serve to spread the word about his talents to a whole new audience.
While it’s always interesting to hear what an artist thinks of other people’s work, some listeners may suspect that such albums are little more than cynical cash grabs. There’s no denying that Paramore is now bigger than ever, and in the lead-up to their UK shows with Taylor Swift, it makes smart business sense to capitalize on that fame to win the loyalty of fans by giving them something new. purchase. Just like with Busted or London Grammar, remix albums can be seen as a business way to evoke a sense of nostalgia, adding to the financial reach of a new era by tugging at people’s heartstrings based on memories.
However, there are significant signs that the current appetite for remix albums may extend beyond mere fundraising. Audiences have become more genre-bending in their listening habits than ever before, but their attention spans have also become shorter, often wanting more than an artist can actually keep up with. With the advent of artificial intelligence, audiences have been able to take matters into their own hands, seeing remixes or reimaginings as an easy way to keep things moving and explore potential futures without waiting for new original material.
“I wonder if (the rise in remix albums) is a reaction to the quick reinventions people make that go viral on TikTok, a way for artists to pre-empt this interest and centralize their own agency,” says Maria Perevedentseva, a lecturer in musicology at the University of Salford. “Good remixes can drop like liquid gold, especially in a dance music context; they become the kind of musical detritus that diggers will hunt for once the original pop culture moment has passed, and in some places they may even have a longer shelf life than the originals themselves.”
According to Ed Spencer, a music researcher at the University of Manchester, the abundance of remixes and collages we all encounter online don’t even have to come from somewhere particularly revered. “Remixing can be a way to reach both fans and anti-fans of different genres—it’s a form of music (clique)-baiting,” he says. “One might assume that there is often some sort of imitation of prestige going on, but sometimes the remixes can be more overtly sardonic. This is especially true in the American bro-step scene, where remixing is sometimes a deliberately controversial practice designed to maximize attention and impact.”
This sense of humor or poignant surrealism certainly explains why many of us fans tend to make our own remixes. As plenty of currently popular TikToks will attest, there’s something very interesting – even potentially weird – about the unusual juxtaposition of something like a Harry Potter chess scene over pulsating EDM as camp stares you straight in the eye. By taking something we think we know and looking at it from a new angle, remixes allow us to imagine alternate realities, make nostalgic jokes, or perhaps even challenge the terms under which the original was created, opening up a whole new range creativity. reading.
Artists will not be immune to these types of viral memes. If you think about Demi Lovato’s recent album “Revamped”, you’ll likely see a renewed popularity in emo and pop-punk, with artists having fun with “pure” pop tracks like “Cool For The Summer” and “Cool For The Summer”. “Sorry, not sorry” can sound like they’ve gotten down and dirty. But there’s also a fair sense of creative vindication, of being able to get your songs right and bringing out talents that haven’t been fully noticed or appreciated before.
In this sense, artist-led remix projects can be as simple as trying to do justice to old eras, capturing a sound or emotion that they may not have previously felt capable of fully achieving. mxmtoon, the pop artist who went viral on TikTok at age 17, recently announced a remastered version of “Plum Blossom,” the EP collection of songs that made her famous. In the record’s press release, she describes it as a healthy pause, a way to thank fans for joining her on this journey, before she moves on to the next one:
“There are a lot of changes that happen in five years, and that’s especially true when you go from being a teenager to being an adult in this space,” she writes. “At that point, I didn’t have the tools or vocabulary to effectively translate every idea that came into my head into a song, so the music I created never materialized into the form I had envisioned. Now, at twenty-three years old, I’m so happy to say that I have the resources to make those dreams come true for my younger self and to honor and thank her for being brave enough to make art at all “
Whatever the artist’s motives, we seem to be moving towards a model in which no musical era will ever end. From (Kan)and West working on “The Life Of Pablo” even after it was technically released, to artists re-releasing albums with bonus tracks and “vault” content (see Taylor Swift or Boygenius’ upcoming EP “the rest” “), remixes, and extended remix culture are a great way to connect with fans, support a story, or even encourage them to be more creative with their own listening habits. While some artists could potentially be accused of not making the most of the remix opportunity (see Busted’s ponderous take on the pop-punk scene with just one female artist), there’s something pretty cool about for an additional look behind the scenes. , the ability to more intimately understand someone’s process and growth.
According to Hayley Williams, the fact that “Re: This IsWhy” exists at all is a testament to the spirit of the community – artists who can have fun shouting each other down and trying something new. “It’s very difficult to organize musicians – we’re not the easiest people,” she told Jimmy Fallon this week. “So this is a feat. This is a miracle.”
Whether you’re a hardcore P’more fan or just enjoy watching musicians play, remix culture seems to be a protective wonder; a way for artists to become fans, and for fans to get a little extra – without having to do anything reckless for themselves.
READ MORE: Growing up with Hayley Williams