Looking back on the last Weezer review on this site, I feel I may have been a little harsh. Weezer‘s ‘Raditude’ got a lot of stick that maybe it didn’t deserve. There were some big tunes hidden around the admittedly rubbish – even though ‘Can’t Stop Partying’ turned out to be quite fun (you can agree – it’s okay).
Only a year on, the band have returned with ‘Hurley’: emblazoned with cover art that, musically at least, has no relevancy at all. It’s typical Weezer, and the whole album is not musically untypical of the band’s last 3/4 records either – it’s “new Weezer” by definition (though it grabs quite far back into long-untrodden ground at moments as well).
Whether “new Weezer” is a term that makes you feel a bit sick – you’re probably going to want to like ‘Hurley’ much more than the last few records, but eventually give up because you “can’t get into it”. And it’s not your fault, you can’t help it.
“Ruling Me” has a blinder of a chorus, “Trainwrecks” is straight up fantastic and “Where’s My Sex?” is a riot. It tapers off a bit towards the end (Time Flies will undoubtably rub a few up the wrong way) – but overall it’s a great listen, a bit of a “grower” perhaps (especially for long-term fans), but great nonetheless.
It’s an upbeat, fun and rewarding listen. Nothing lo-fi here by any means, and it’s all very slick still production wise (save the last track). ‘Hurley’ is so very, very much worth giving a chance no matter how vehemently opposed to the band’s more recent direction you are – there’s something in here for new, recent and old listeners alike. Promise.
It packs a much harder punch that ‘Raditude’ did, and it’s all a bit less silly. If the band are trying to be taken seriously again, they’ve certainly held up their side of the bargain.