Say It Ain’t So: Has Weezer Hit a Wall?
L.A. rock band Weezer has been around since 1992, producing numerous albums that embody the nerdy power-pop rock that made them stand out. After numerous produced albums described as “just okay,” can the upcoming album bring Weezer back to the light as the nerdy rock band the world once knew?
Written by Brooklyn Slie
Photo courtesy of Sean Murphy
When Weezer debuted the pop-rock Blue Album in 1994, composed of 10 songs with rumbling guitar, clamoring drums, and lead singer Rivers Cuomo’s raw vocals, the band was praised by fans for their nerdy-rock sound and unique style which had yet to be made mainstream. The debut album stands as passionate, silly, and with an important place in music history due to its combination of musical styles. Between Cuomo’s rich voice and strums of guitar, Weezer combined a pop-rock aesthetic with punk-rock grunge that made listening to their music incomparable.
After the release of their foundational studio album, Weezer became a hit band. They embodied catchy power-pop rock which contrasted the moody grunge scene. Weezer created tracks with amusing lyrics and solid beats, like “Buddy Holly” which conveys upbeat melodies and distorted vocals singing about defending a friend with lyrics: “I don’t care what they say about us anyway / I don’t care about that,” representing Weezer’s sincere and genuine characteristics. Similarly, hit song “Say It Ain’t So” combines the slow drawl of Cuomo’s voice and soft strums of guitar with a contrastingly edgy, loud chorus. The track is described as an “abstract painting,” in a Wordpress article that describes it as the “6th song to be thankful for,” which could be explained by the powerful storyline about a broken home alongside the combination of explosive vocals and suspenseful verses.
Following the album, fans roared with excitement when their second album, Pinkerton, was released in 1996. Unfortunately for Weezer, that album release began the downfall of their music career, stated in an article by The Stranger that analyzed Weezer’s musical decline. The alt-rock album included deeply personal tracks about relationship conflicts, sexual frustration, and loneliness. Tracks like “Tired of Sex” feature intense guitar riffs that are riveting to the ear. The raw scream of Cuomo’s voice adds more passion and emotion to the track, bringing the personality embedded within the album to life. “Pink Triangle” represents the struggle of finding someone to love, while simultaneously being controversial due to lyrics about discovering a woman is lesbian, irritating fans because of the misogynistic nature of the track. The track combines scratchy vocals aligning with the smooth singing of the guitar as they play in unison. The problem with Pinkerton wasn’t that it was bad, but the lack of appreciation the album received. Pinkerton is dark, raw, and grunge. These characteristics severely contrasted with the pop-punk vibe the band embodied in the debut album. The Blue Album discusses geek culture and social alienation, which was part of the admiration fans acquired for the band. The alternative, Pinkerton, uses sexual lyrics and caught fans off guard, according to a Rolling Stone Article. The band went on a three year hiatus following the heartbreak of the album’s failure, and later returned in 2001 with their second self-titled Green Album.
The Green Album brought excitement to fans, hoping that Weezer was going to have a stunning return to form with their third album that seemed to feature a similar style to The Blue Album. The album featured a few hit songs like “Hash Pipe” and “Island in the Sun,” and while it reprised their pop-punk style, it wasn’t quite up to par in comparison to the original The Blue Album, since it lacked the nerdy-rock aesthetic that made the album desirable.
For years following, Weezer continuously produced average albums that had geeky lyrics and few exceptional songs. After The Blue Album was critically rated as a “must hear” album on website Album of the Year, Weezer’s album scores continuously dropped and ranged from 50% to 60%. The album Maladroit features upbeat pop-punk tracks like “Keep Fishin’” and “Dope Nose,” which feature bubbly melodies, guitar riffs and vocals passionately sung about chasing after women, along with nonsensical lyrics without deep meaning or significance. Make Believe featured one hit song, “Beverly Hills,” which deployed some of Weezer’s classic style with whimsical lyrics and melodies. Weezer had a handful of hits within their first five albums, but truthfully, the real downfall of Weezer came after the release of their third self-titled Red Album, which was critically rated at 61%. Weezer didn’t have the flare they once had. Between soft, slow tracks like “The Angel And The One” and “The Spider,” their music was nothing like it used to be, with journalist Eric Grandy saying it was “hard to give Weezer another chance,” in The Stranger. Weezer was loved for their unique lyrics, but lyrics in track “Pork and Beans” crossed the line of being unique and instead got weird. Cuomo sang about not adhering to social norms with lyrics like, “I’ll eat my candy with the pork and beans / Excuse my manners if I make a scene.” Raditude features tracks with lyrics that don’t contribute much to the album, and isn’t worth saying much about. Alternatively, Hurley features a few songs that bring hints of power-pop Weezer in tracks like “Memories,” portraying Cuomo’s raspy voice and an upbeat tempo, bringing reminders of tracks like “No One Else” from The Blue Album. Weezer’s three other self-titled albums weren’t loved by fans either. The Teal Album purely consists of covers, but The White Album and The Black Album don’t have the same spunk as other self-titled albums, leaving fans disappointed, with a user rating of 43%.. In 2022, Weezer came out with four EPs, SZNZ, which contain different varieties of the same songs. Since the EPs were released, Weezer lacked music production up until recently.
After four years of nothing, Weezer rose from the dead with a shiny new single. “Shine Again” brings an upbeat tempo with rough rumbles of bass and prominent guitar with a distortion that makes the track sound fuzzy and grunge. The vocals are raw and triumphant, delivered in a fragmented style which correlates with beats played from drums and raking of the electric guitar. Cuomo fervently sings about meaningless daily tasks while singing about feeling “Demoralized,” and rejoicing with confidence and pride. In an interview with KROQ, Cuomo discusses the meaning behind the song and finding confidence in themselves, that “the sun shines in them, and they just need to look there for inspiration.” The single resembles Weezer shining a beam of light on themselves to their audience, announcing their readiness to take the stage. The track is solid, Cuomo’s vocals rising to higher octaves as he desperately cries “You were always great, remember how it feels / To know and see, and be so great again.” This track brings hope for the upcoming Weezer album. The vocals both yearning and confident, guitar amplified and drums booming, Weezer has a solid chance with this single of making the epic return fans always thought they could.
Although Weezer possessed plenty of opportunities to bring their name back into stardom, numerous old and upcoming bands have acquired their own touch of Weezer, stealing their niche. Bands like Ozma and Rooney embodied the Weezer sound through lyrics and style. In tracks like “If Only I Had a Heart” and “Battlescars,” Ozma represents the Weezer aesthetic, and borderline beats them at their own sound with nerdy-pop culture references in their debut album Rock and Roll Part Three. The psychedelic touches of a synthesizer, drawl of silly lyrics, and quick, electric rumbles of a guitar bring touches of what Weezer used to have in The Blue Album and Pinkerton. The track “Baseball” by Ozma embodies almost identical themes to “Undone (The Sweater Song)” in The Blue Album, beginning with slow, soft melodies leading into an upbeat tune. Ozma’s popularity was primarily in the 2000s due to their Weezer-like style, opening for Weezer tours and shows.
Rooney’s debut and self-titled album similarly embodies Weezer with their upbeat tracks about themes of love and insecurity. The track “I’m A Terrible Person” resembles Weezer through lyrics singing about “I’m a terrible person / I read her diary / I am not to be trusted,” the lyrics are slightly odd, but the beat is melodic enough to still resonate with fans. Lead singer Robert Schwartzman maneuvers his vocals throughout the track to varying notes and sings with a passion that is extremely similar to the way that Cuomo sings in Weezer albums.
Newer bands, like Joyce Manor and Modern Baseball, radiate Weezer energy by singing about angst and navigating life, blending nerdy pop-punk with hints of grunge and rock. The subtle build up in “Tears Over Beers” in Modern Baseball’s debut album Sports assimilates Weezer techniques seen in tracks like "Across the Sea” in Pinkerton, starting off slow and gradually building up to a more high-tempo beat. Joyce Manor’s “Constant Headache” allows listeners to feel a touch of Weezer through the descriptive, self-depricating lyrics and intense, scratchy vocals. While Weezer has been producing a multitude of albums and EPs trying to restore their reputation, other bands have been incorporating the nerdy-rock that Weezer once was, making it more difficult for them to bring themselves back into the glory.
The real question is: Can Weezer come back from their slump? After 15 major studio releases and another to come, will they prove to fans they can still produce tracks with the classic, Weezer sound? All signs point to The iconic, pop-punk, nerdy rock band that has produced hit songs like “My Name is Jonas” and “In the Garage.” Weezer tells stories through silly phrases and sentences while simultaneously producing monumental tracks that combine different music genres. With their new single out for the world to hear, it only provides hope that Weezer will produce an album with the same amount of talent and edge. “Shine Again” differs from past albums and singles. The track truly embodies the old Weezer sound. The lyrics are hopeful and the instruments are played intentionally.
Weezer has had ups and downs. They’ve had hit singles and they’ve had bad singles. There is always one good song in an album that could be described as adequate. Based on their last single, the band will be able to “Shine Again” and prove to the world that they still have the ambition and talent that led them to fame.