SZNZ: Winter

Weezer

I wasn't looking forward to this last instalment in Weezer's SZNZ series at all. It was more maximalist pop rock that tried to pander to the widest audience possible and with the added gimmick of incorporating Vivaldi's Four Seasons (a gimmick they didn't really adhere to all that closely I might add), the music felt even more tacky. As much as I didn't enjoy the last three mini-albums, I was surely in too deep at this point, thus here we are talking about SZNZ: Winter. Here's the surprising thing though, not only is this batch decent, it's actually pretty good. In fact, this is the most Weezer, has sounded like Weezer in a really long time.

Just listen to Dark Enough to See the Stars and count the Weezer-isms: the finger picked descending melodic line on the acoustic guitar, the 3/4 time signature, the crunchy rhythm guitars, the harmonica, and the quadruple time ramp up at the end. It sounds so incredibly familiar and comforting. I love Iambic Pentameter even more thanks to its really strong chorus. It has a dropped tempo, wonderfully soft background vocals that are soothing, and I love the little riff that finishes the chorus that could be played on a twelve-string guitar, or just a pedal effect. Either way I love it. The song does lose the plot a little with a series of adventurous detours, but in no way is it enough to ruin my enjoyment.

The rest of the material is just some more geeky, love sick, and companion longing tunes that follow the tried and true Weezer formula. While it's not amazing even by Weezer standards, it is certainly not as cringe inducing or misguided as a great deal of Weezer's output in 2022. To put it simply, SZNZ: Winter sounds like Weezer not trying so hard and embarrassing themselves in the process. For those waiting for a return to that Blue Album-era sound, you might finally be getting what you're hoping for on this collection of tracks.