It stands to reason that, as one of the bands that helped pioneer and define it, Weezer are synonymous with the boom of bubbly and buoyant, ultra-melodic pop-rock of the late ‘90s and early 2000s. But while that’s where the Californian quartet’s mainstream esteem may have peaked, it’s undoubtedly today that Weezer’s flame burns the brightest.
Since roaring back to life from their second hiatus with 2014’s ripping and rousing Everythingt Will Be Alright In The End (on which they treated old-school fans to an onslaught of booming hooks and earwormish choruses), they’ve struck gold with everything from doughy ‘60s-revering surf-rock (on 2016’s White Album) to polarising avant-garde pop (on 2019’s Black Album) and even tongue-in-cheek covers of yesteryear’s cheesiest FM hits (on 2019’s Teal Album).
But as they near 30 years of their reign as the rightful kings of pop-rock, it’s become crystal clear that Weezer have, until now, only scratched the surface of their powerful and polychromatic potential. Even for a band as unpredictably quirky as them, nobody could have foreseen Weezer’s 2021 output: an introspective, orchestral-backed album of ballads and Broadway-esque showtunes, and a slamming, shred-heavy bombshell of ‘80s hair metal-channeling rock anthems - the admirable efforts of a band that is truly unhinged.
And then there’s Weezer’s 2022 slate - because if two career-defining, critic-stunning albums isn’t enough for one year, how about four? Starting shape as a mental exercise to keep frontman Rivers Cuomo sane as he trod along through last year’s pandemic-incited lockdown, the Seasons saga quickly blossomed into an ambitious four-disc epic, taking Weezer to a quadrant of very distinct, individually inspired corners of their musicality.
This is Weezer’s age of recklessness: they’re doing what want to do, living their wildest musical dreams and embracing the most whimsical corners of their imaginations - all with absolute creative authority. As he gears up for one of the biggest and busiest chapters of the Weezer story, we caught up with Rivers to vibe on and , what we can all look forward to from the project, and everything else going on with one of rock’s most idiosyncratic characters.
