On Sept. 22, the pop-punk band Weezer came out with the third installment of their 2022 string of albums titled “SZNZ,” which is pronounced “seasons.”
The first part of this project was titled “SZNZ: Spring,” to represent the spring time. It had seven songs, beginning with the track “Opening Night” that gave off the vibe of spring starting with an acoustic guitar letting off joyful, upbeat chords. Another track worth noting, “Angels on Vacation,” has a hint of rebellion with lines like “Halos off, just two folks living life,” reminding us to let loose once and a while.
The second album to make the SZNZ project was the next season in line, summer. A song off that album that maybe some people have heard on the radio would be “Records.” With a chorus that is radio-friendly, “I hear records in my head everywhere that I go,” it is a head-nod to music lovers everywhere, rhyming Nirvana and Rihanna. It follows up with an interestingly visual track “Blue Like Jazz.”
Rivers Cuomo not only does well in visually stimulating lyricism, but also in musical melodies and rhythmic patterns. “Don’t mind me, I’m a little slow, I can’t play sixteenth notes” is sung over a guitar playing sixteenth notes. It’s one of those songs you tell your friends “it’s cooler when you listen to it.” Then your friends go listen to it, and agree.
The new installment this fall is of course titled “‘SZNZ: Autumn.” Fixating on a darker theme, it truly captures the spooky mood and cozy comfort of autumn.
Weezer digs back into their roots with their socially awkward shyness with lines such as “I’m wishing that I was doing what somebody else is doing, but I can’t dance, don’t ask me,” and, “No one cares but I still feel like a laughingstock.” My personal favorite track so far is a song called “Get off on The Pain.”
Lines such as “The people down the street are packing up, as if they found a neighbor doing witchcraft” truly capture the vibe of autumn. Hopefully Weezer can top it all with the winter album coming out in December.