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Van Weezer

Van Weezer is the fifteenth studio album by American rock band Weezer, released on May 7, 2021, by Crush Music and Atlantic Records. Featuring a style influenced by classic rock and hard rock, the album was announced in September 2019 with an original release date of May 2020, coinciding with announcement of the band's participation in the Hella Mega Tour alongside Green Day and Fall Out Boy. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tour was delayed indefinitely and Van Weezer's release was delayed until May 2021, almost four months after the release of the band's previous album OK Human.

Van Weezer
Studio album by
Weezer
ReleasedMay 7, 2021 (2021-05-07)[1]
Recorded2018–2020
Genre
Length30:49
Label
ProducerSuzy Shinn
Weezer chronology
OK Human
(2021) 		Van Weezer
(2021) 		SZNZ: Spring
(2022)
Singles from Van Weezer
  1. "The End of the Game"
    Released: September 10, 2019
  2. "Hero"
    Released: May 6, 2020
  3. "Beginning of the End"
    Released: August 14, 2020
  4. "I Need Some of That"
    Released: April 21, 2021
  5. "All The Good Ones"
    Released: May 7, 2021

Four singles were released ahead of the album's release; "The End of the Game", "Hero", "Beginning of the End" and "I Need Some of That". A fifth single, "All The Good Ones," was released on the same day as the album. The album received generally positive reviews from critics. It debuted and peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard 200 chart.[8]

Background

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In February 2019, Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo began working on new songs with a hard rock influence, in contrast to the pop rock and electropop sound that had been featured on the band's previous albums Pacific Daydream, the Teal Album, and the then-upcoming Black Album. In an interview that month with Entertainment Weekly, Cuomo mentioned that an album tentatively titled Van Weezer was in the works, and that it would take the band "back to big guitars". He remarked that when the band would perform "Beverly Hills" live in concert, he would perform a guitar solo that was not present on the recorded version of the song. "We noticed that, recently, the crowd just goes crazy when I do that. So it feels like maybe the audience is ready for some shredding again."[9]

The album has been compared to their fourth studio album Maladroit (2002), and is inspired by 1970s and 1980s hard rock and heavy metal bands such as Kiss, Black Sabbath, Metallica and Van Halen (the last of whom inspired the album's title).[10] Cuomo would also state that the album is "Blue Album-ish, but a little more riffy."[11]

Release

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On September 10, 2019, the first single from Van Weezer, "The End of the Game" was released along with an announcement that the album would be released on May 15, 2020.[12] The announcement coincided with the revelation of the Hella Mega Tour, a 2020 concert tour featuring Weezer, Green Day, and Fall Out Boy.[13] On May 6, 2020, the second single "Hero" was released onto streaming services; while Weezer announced that the album release would be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that despite this fans would receive "surprises" within the next week.[14] A short snippet of "Blue Dream" debuted on The Simpsons episode "The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds", on which Weezer guest-starred as themselves.[15] On August 14, 2020, the band announced that the album had been delayed to May 2021 in order to coincide with the rescheduled Hella Mega Tour. That same day, the third single, "Beginning of the End", was released as a part of the soundtrack for Bill & Ted Face the Music.[16]

On October 6, 2020, after Eddie Van Halen died, the album was dedicated to him.[17] In addition to Van Halen, the album is also dedicated to Ric Ocasek, who produced the band's debut, The Blue Album, The Green Album, & Everything Will Be Alright in the End, as Ocasek passed away in September 2019. [18]

The track listing was announced on April 20, 2021, and the fourth single, "I Need Some of That" was released the following day.[19]

The album was officially released on May 7, 2021, along with an animated music video for "All The Good Ones".

The album was released just three and a half months after its predecessor, OK Human, which was at one point intended to be released after Van Weezer.[20]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic67/100[21]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [22]
The A.V. ClubB+[23]
Clash7/10[24]
DIY     [25]
Exclaim!7/10[26]
Kerrang!     [27]
NME     [28]
Paste5.5/10[29]
Pitchfork5.9/10[30]
Rolling Stone     [31]

Van Weezer received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 67 based on 20 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[21] Stephen Thomas Erlewine at AllMusic gave the album a positive review, stating "...any of its retro origins are washed away by big, dumb sounds that keep the record grounded in the eternal now, an aesthetic choice that also helps the album be a rousing good time." Erlewin praised the homage to Van Halen on the album.[22] Mark Beaumont from NME was a bit more mixed on the album, whom considered the choruses as some of the band's best, but opined that the second half of the album as lesser quality from the first half. Beaumont went on to observe "there's a stone-cold classic Weezer album hidden beneath the fretboard flam."[28]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hero[1]"
3:56
2."All the Good Ones"
2:44
3."The End of the Game[2]"
3:01
4."I Need Some of That"
3:19
5."Beginning of the End"
3:15
6."Blue Dream"
2:50
7."1 More Hit"Cuomo3:05
8."Sheila Can Do It"
2:57
9."She Needs Me"Cuomo2:52
10."Precious Metal Girl"
2:50
Total length:30:49
Vinyl Bonus Tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."I've Thrown It All Away"
3:23
12."I Need Some of That (R.O.)" 0:50
Total length:35:02

Sample credits

Notes

1.^ On Apple Music, tracks 1 & 3 are switched.[32]

Personnel

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Credits adapted from Van Weezer liner notes[33]

Weezer

Additional personnel

  • Joe LaPorta – mastering
  • Matty Green – mixer
  • Suzy Shinn – producer (all tracks), engineer (1, 2, 4, 5, 7–10), recording engineer (2, 4–10), additional guitar (1, 2), additional vocals (1, 2, 4), synthesizer (2)
  • Charlie Brand – engineer (1, 2, 4–10), additional vocals (1)
  • Ivan Wayman – engineer (1, 2, 4, 5, 7–10), assistant engineer (6)
  • Shawn Everett – engineer (5)
  • Wesley Sideman – engineer (6)
  • Coast Modern – additional programming, additional vocals (2)
  • Andreas Kvinge Sandnes – assistant engineer (1, 2, 5, 7–10)
  • Jake Sinclair – assistant engineer (1, 2)
  • Sejo Navajas – assistant engineer (1, 2, 5, 7–10)
  • John Sinclair – assistant engineer (3)
  • Johnny Morgan – assistant engineer (3)
  • Josh Skinner – assistant engineer (3)
  • Lizzy Ostro – assistant engineer (3)
  • Michael Beinhorn – pre-production (3)
  • Ross Garfield – drum technician (2, 5, 7–10)
  • Mike Fasano – drum technician (3, 6)

Charts

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Chart performance for Van Weezer
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[34] 83
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[35] 26
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[36] 105
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[37] 48
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[38] 18
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[39] 25
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[40] 11
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[41] 13
Scottish Albums (OCC)[42] 8
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[43] 40
UK Albums (OCC)[44] 30
US Billboard 200[45] 11
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[46] 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[47] 1

References

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  1. ^ "Weezer - van Weezer - Vinyl LP".
  2. ^ Sharples, Grant (May 4, 2021). "Weezer's Van Weezer Is Hard-Rock Cosplay". Spin. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  3. ^ "Top 10 alternative rock albums of 2021". Ultimate Classic Rock. December 26, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  4. ^ "Weezer: "This album is about feeling isolated, alienated and secluded – it's perfect for now"". NME. 26 January 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  5. ^ Westrom, Piper (May 1, 2021). "Album Review: Weezer bows at the altar of Ozzy and Eddie on 'Van Weezer'". Riff Magazine. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  6. ^ "Meet the Twentysomething Behind Weezer's New Classic Rock Record". Slate. 23 May 2021. Archived from the original on 3 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  7. ^ Pareles, Jon (April 23, 2021). "Weezer's Rock 'n' Roll Nostalgia Trip, and 10 More New Songs". New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  8. ^ "Weezer". Billboard.
  9. ^ Franich, Darren. "Rivers Cuomo on Weezer's Black Album and struggling with the success of covering 'Africa'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  10. ^ Schatz, Lake (10 September 2019). "Weezer Announce New Van Weezer LP, Share "The End of the Game"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  11. ^ Matthew Strauss (September 10, 2019). "Weezer Detail New Album Van Weezer, Share New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  12. ^ "Weezer's Next Album Is Coming Next Year, Hear New Song 'The End of the Game' Right Now - News". Rock Sound Magazine. Archived from the original on 2020-09-23. Retrieved 2019-09-10.
  13. ^ Greene, Andy (10 September 2019). "Green Day, Weezer, Fall Out Boy Announce 2020 'Hella Mega' Stadium Tour". Rolling Stone.
  14. ^ Bloom, Madison (6 May 2020). "Weezer Delay Album and Share New Song "Hero": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  15. ^ "Weezer debut new song Blue Dream on The Simpsons". The List. 11 May 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  16. ^ "weezer on Twitter - Van Weezer update". Twitter. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  17. ^ "weezer on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  18. ^ "Credits / Van Weezer / Weezer". Tidal. May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  19. ^ @Weezer (April 21, 2021). "It's almost Van Weezer time. These are all the songs on the album that comes out on May 7th. "I Need Some Of That" drops tomorrow at 9am PT/12pm ET" (Tweet). Retrieved May 7, 2021 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ Carter, Emily (January 26, 2021). "Rivers Cuomo explains why OK Human is being released before Van Weezer". Kerrang!. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Van Weezer by Weezer Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  22. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (May 7, 2021). "Van Weezer – Weezer". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  23. ^ McLevy, Alex (May 6, 2021). "Good news, everyone: Van Weezer kicks ass". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  24. ^ Hagan, R.A. (May 5, 2021). "Weezer - Van Weezer". Clash. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  25. ^ Swann, Emma (May 7, 2021). "Weezer - Van Weezer". Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  26. ^ Hudson, Alex (May 1, 2021). "Weezer Aren't All That Heavy on 'Van Weezer,' and They're Better for It". Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  27. ^ Sutherland, Mark (May 6, 2021). "Album review: Weezer – Van Weezer". Kerrang!. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  28. ^ a b Beaumont, Mark (May 5, 2021). "Weezer – 'Van Weezer' review: veteran pop-rockers throw up the Devil horns". NME. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  29. ^ Gomez, Jade (May 6, 2021). "Van Weezer Only Partially Delivers on False Promises". Paste. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  30. ^ Rytlewski, Evan (May 13, 2021). "Weezer: Van Weezer Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  31. ^ Dolan, Jon (May 7, 2021). "Weezer Deliver a Love Letter to Eighties Metal on 'Van Weezer'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  32. ^ Van Weezer by Weezer, retrieved 2021-08-01
  33. ^ Van Weezer (Album liner notes). Weezer. 2021.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  34. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 17 May 2021". The ARIA Report. No. 1628. Australian Recording Industry Association. May 17, 2021. p. 4.
  35. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Weezer – Van Weezer" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  36. ^ "Ultratop.be – Weezer – Van Weezer" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  37. ^ "Ultratop.be – Weezer – Van Weezer" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  38. ^ "Weezer Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  39. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Weezer – Van Weezer" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  40. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2021. 19. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  41. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2021-05-17" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  42. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  43. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Weezer – Van Weezer". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  44. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  45. ^ "Weezer Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  46. ^ "Weezer Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  47. ^ "Weezer Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
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