Weezer

Van Weezer

Written by: PP on 26/06/2021 02:15:34

Originally intended for release for a planned tour with Green Day and Fall Out Boy, Weezer's fifteenth studio album "Van Weezer" (dedicated to Van Halen) was delayed due to the pandemic and ended up being released after their operatic pop album "OK Human" that was released earlier this year. It features a stylistic shift by the band from the electronic pop-rock of recent albums into one that features more guitars, although I wouldn't exactly call it hard rock-influenced just because it has a few hair metal guitar solos here and there.

Sure, a song like "The End Of The Game" is effectively based on a hard rock foundation, but Rivers Cuomo's pop-laden vocals immediately remove any such references as soon as they arrive. In the end, "Van Weezer" is a pop-rock album with predictable choruses and thus feels more like a career extension than a particularly relevant rock album for music enthusiasts. In other words, the perfect mainstream rock album that's easy to hum along to, with cheesy, simplified choruses to hook you in, and a little distortion to the guitars to ensure firm roots in rock'n'roll.

Does it surprise anyone at this point if I were to say "Van Weezer" sounds like a Weezer album? They've perfected the non-offensive, alternative rock with both feet knee-deep in pop melodies over the years, and "Van Weezer" is no different just because it references a few heavier riffs every now and then. It's a Weezer album, and if you're into Rivers Cuomo-style sing-alongs, this is every bit as good as "Weezer - The White Album" or, say, "Hurley". But what it is not, is a genre-defining masterpiece nor a record you'll remember a few years down the line. Same dorky pop-rock songs as before, little reason to check this record out compared to their classics, despite being objectively decent throughout.

Download: Hero, The End Of The Game
For the fans of: Say Anything, The Strokes, The Xcerts, Weatherbox
Listen: Facebook

Release date 07.05.2021
Atlantic / Crush Music

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