Weezer
Pacific Daydream
Release Date: October 27, 2018
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: Atlantic/Crush
Review by Jared Stossel
Eleven albums into their career, and Weezer are pretty much able to do whatever the hell they want, musically. Whether it's a heavily-distorted guitar anthem that opens the album ("Mexican Fender"), an indie-pop track that ushers in a new era of alternative ("Feels Like Summer"), or a song that emanates the feelings of a day at the beach with not a care in the world ("Weekend Woman"), Weezer's 2017 offering (and their most recent) shows the band creating an album made for the summer. Which is a bit ironic, considering that it was released towards the end of October 2017. Nevertheless, the atmosphere remains throughout its ten tracks.
While the first four tracks on the album ("Mexican Fender", "Beach Boys", "Feels Like Summer", and "Happy Hour") are all rather different, Weezer are able to do something that is crucial to making an album stand out in today's day and age: creating flow. Each songs transitions seamlessly into the next, going from hyped-up rock, to surf rock, to indie pop, and territory beyond. It's almost essential with every Weezer album of the past ten years to get something new, hear them experiment, step out of their comfort zone, and just write songs. While they are undoubtedly a rock band, Weezer have persevered in the industry for so long because of their willingness to step out of their box and try different things when it comes to songwriting.
The album continues with the catchy, acoustic-guitar plucking of "QB Blitz". It takes about a minute or so for the drum beat to kick in, but vocalist River Cuomo's vocal line inspires singalong moments. "Sweet Mary" is a beautifully composed indie-rock number with a relaxing vibe, which soon after transitions into "Get Right" to bring the energy right back up. A sample of the outside night beckons the opening of "La Mancha Screwjob", a song that screams of the earlier-referenced "summertime vibe" at the beginning of this review. "Any Friend of Diane's" closes the album with an anthemic sing-along line that's so simple yet so effective: "Any friend of Diane's is a friend of mine." It's easy to imagine this kind of track closing out a future Weezer, complete with confetti and singing from amphitheatre crowds.
While it was technically released last fall, Weezer's Pacific Daydream is an album that was made for summer. It's only appropriate that the band are touring throughout the aforementioned season with Pixies in support of the album, where fans can finally capture the energy of these songs in the atmosphere it was intended for.