IN REVIEW: Weezer - "SZNZ: Summer"

 

When Weezer dropped the first of four seasonal EPs in March, it became clear early and often that the gimmick was taking precedence over the songs; aside from the Vivaldi interpolation and the increased use of acoustic instruments, underneath the hype this was simply another batch of mediocre-to-passable Weezer songs. 

If Spring felt like a continuation of the orchestral OK Human, then Summer acts as a shrunken sequel to Van Weezer, their other 2021 album and one that saw them attempting to flex their rock muscle, tipping their leather hats to guitar heroes of the '80s. Well, sort of; this EP also naturally features more nods to Vivaldi and some of the sugary power pop that Weezer can't help but hit upon occasionally whether they're trying to or not, but it also has record scratches (Records), a little synthy new wave (The Opposite of Me), and a good old fashioned Beatles-esque horn intro (What's the Good of Being Good). Its main area of focus, though, is more of the ham-fisted hard rock that made Maladroit one of their darkest and most divisive projects and Van Weezer a fun but really rather mid (and sometimes disingenuous) detour.

What's odd about all of this is that, like the cover suggests, this EP doesn't find Weezer in a particularly summery mood; perhaps as a statement on global warming, these are songs that vibe more with disaster and destruction than sun and fun. Considering their track record with summery music, this is either going to be disappointing or refreshing depending on how literally you wanted them to take this whole concept. 

Does it work, though? Well, sort of; if you can get past some of the usual clunky lyrics, there isn't anything that carries the stench of Weezer's most unfortunate attempts at music. Blue Like Jazz sounds a little like what could happen if Claudio Sanchez left Coheed and Cambria for a minute to collab with Rivers; it's suitably heavy, weirdly engaging and carries more than enough charm to balance it all out. The Opposite of Me exudes some of that sweet Dancing With Myself energy during its verses, soars on its choruses and features a formidably heavy half-time breakdown. What's the Good of Being Good unfolds past its rather silly intro into a melancholic mid-tempo number that explodes into a heartfelt, heavily layered chorus. Then, there's Thank You and Good Night, which closes out the first half of this year-long experiment with a chest-thumping, braggadocious finale that tries on a few stylistic hats as it hurdles toward its fast and loose big rock ending.

SZNZ: Summer falls short in areas you might expect; the Vivaldi riffing that's resumed on opener Lawn Chair still sounds awkward, some of Rivers Cuomo's lyrics once again dip into the well of cringe, and some of the genre-mashing fails to launch. Records features the aforementioned scratches as an accompaniment to a four-on-the-floor rock song that tries its damndest to become an earworm while big upping Rihanna, Lana Del Rey and Nirvana before inviting listeners to "fuck off" rather than taking the rhyme to, say, Bananarama. Cuomoville, despite occasionally recalling past glories, is ultimately the least exciting song here (or, at least, the song that covers the least amount of sonic distance). It's not awful, but it doesn't completely stick either.

All told, even with the detours that take place, SZNZ: Summer is more consistent than Spring, and won't dissuade fans from coming back for another helping when fall arrives; and, even though some of the artistic decisions are questionable here, there's precious little that's embarrassing across this EP's 24 minutes. You may not take these songs with you to the beach, but at least you may find yourself wanting to listen to them again; considering some of the places they've taken their sound in recent memory, I'd call that a win.

June 21, 2022 • Crush/Atlantic

Highlights Blue Like Jazz • What's the Good of Being Good