Weezer’s worst album has arrived.
This year, Weezer is planning to release four new albums based on the seasons. On March 20, 2022, “SZNZ: Spring,” was released. It contains seven songs and totals at just under 21 minutes.
The whole album is inspired by Shakespeare and magic, which is very evident while listening. It brings a lot of positive vibes to the album, which is not what I want from an alternative/pop rock band.
It starts with “Opening Night,” which incorporates a Celtic sound. The first verse was nearly impossible for me to listen to.
It sounds too Renaissance-y, though the chorus is slightly redeeming. After the first verse, the instrumental improves significantly. I enjoyed the second half of the song more than the first half, thanks to the instrumental. The lyrics refer to the Shakespearean English era, and it reminded me of a song from a musical. It made the song feel childish and takes away from
Up next is “Angels On Vacation,” and, I have to say, I really hate the beginning. The first 15 seconds sounds like a church hymn, and is absolutely not fitting for Weezer. After that part, it is more tolerable. The beat is catchy, and I actually enjoyed the first half of the song, apart from the first 15 seconds. The bridge of the song is slower than the rest, but enjoyable for the most part. One downside to that part of the song is how Rivers Cuomo sounds. His voice during the bridge is too high and sounds whiny, but the rest of the song is not nearly as bad.
Next is “A Little Bit of Love,” which I would say is one of the least Weezer-esque songs on the album. Just like the first song, and a lot of the songs on the album, it has strong Celtic undertones. It isn’t a bad song, but it sounds too positive for Weezer. It’s the type of song I would not want stuck in my head. Nothing about this song is special.
Unsurprisingly, “The Garden of Eden,” is just as cliché. Beginning with sounds of nature, this is another song that sounds nothing like Weezer. That can be said for the whole album, mostly because it has no rock or alternative aspects like previous albums. The beat is catchy, but it sounds too indie compared to the other songs. During the chorus, windchimes can be heard, and it’s a nice touch. However, I’m very iffy about this song.
One thing I can say about the album is that I didn’t expect to feel like I am at a church camp, but it seems I was mistaken. I did like the last line of the song, where it says “The end takes you back to the start,” which is followed with sounds of nature like the beginning. It’s a nice way to end an unimpressive song.
Somehow, it manages to get worse with the next song, “The Sound Of Drums.” The beginning of the song is genuinely just bad. I expected it to be a bad song just from the opening of it. I would say the only tolerable part of the song is the instrumental heard during the chorus. Other than that, there is not much about this song that is good. It sounds like a song for children written by an old man because, quite frankly, it is. This song is upsetting to listen to, that’s how bad it is.
“All This Love” is next, and this is one of the better ones on the album. While many Weezer lyrics are not necessarily good, the ones in this song are subpar even for their standards. On the other hand, the beat really drives itself, it isn’t too fast and is catchy. Even if the lyrics are not great for the band, they don’t sound stupid at least. After my initial listen, this song definitely grew on me. Nothing about this song stands out honestly, but I don’t have anything bad to say about it. I can confidently say that this is one of my favorite songs on the album, mostly since it doesn’t flat out suck.
The last song, “Wild At Heart,” is another one I thought was decent. Especially in the beginning, the beat is faster than almost all of the other songs. I really like the chorus, and just like the last song, I don’t have anything overly negative to say about it. Having an upbeat song as a closing song definitely makes the album end on a higher note than it started on. Out of all the songs on here, this was the best one as a closer.
As a Weezer fan, I was sorely disappointed by the album. Being the first of four albums coming out this year, my expectations have been lowered for the rest of this series.
This album leaves ample room for improvement, and hopefully “SZNZ: Summer” can pick up the slack.