Honest First Impressions of 'Pacific Daydream', the New Weezer Album

Okay, so...my two cents on masters-of-alt-rock Weezer's brand new album, Pacific Daydream (which was released digitally and on physical media on October 27th earlier this year):

"Feels Like Summer", the very first single they released from this album, had a very interesting effect on me. When I first heard it, I couldn't believe my ears. With blaring synths all over the place and a very bubble-gum kind of melody, Weezer had immersed themselves headlong into the pop music world. The beauty and style of its composition were unquestionable to me (even on my first listen), but I was still quite thrown-for-a-loop that this was the direction they chose to take their music in after hearing "Back to the Shack" in 2014 (the lyrics of which supposedly being meant as an apology for the band's consistent musical experimentation and pandering to the masses over the last decade and them not staying true to their roots). But I kept returning to the song, growing to enjoy it more and more upon each listen. It has since become one of my favorite Weezer songs.

The 2nd single, "Mexican Fender", was undeniably still very poppy, but did not stray far beyond a very traditional Weezer alt-rock format. The lyrics here are very cutesy, albeit nothing special, but the chorus is, without a doubt, awesome and the icing on the cake was the absolutely incredible bridge that takes my ears right back to Weezer's roots every time I hear it. After multiple listens, I'm still uncertain as to whether I enjoy it as much as "Feels Like Summer", but unlike that track, I was definitely on board with this song from my very first listen to it.

The 3rd single "Beach Boys" was certainly my least favorite out of all the singles the band released from this album, but that doesn't mean that this song isn't also a catchy fun-ride. The lyrics in the verses of this song are, unfortunately, not very memorable or interesting, but the song makes up for it with a super funky bass line (almost reminiscent of Flea) and a chorus that lovingly recalls one of the most influential pop groups of yesterday and today.

After hearing all these singles, I was ready to go out and drop 20+ dollars to purchase the album on vinyl without even hearing what the rest of the album sounded like first (which was exactly what I did with the band's 2016 effort "The White Album"). I mostly refrained due to a lack of budget and decided to listen to the rest of it on YouTube...HOLY SHIT, am I glad I did that first!

While the remainder of the album is certainly nothing to sneeze at (and is certainly more listenable than 90% of the garbage on the radio they are calling "pop" nowadays), it is without a doubt far from being among from what I consider to be the band's finest work (Pinkerton, The Blue Album and Maladroit). While many are likely disenchanted with the fact that they took on a more pop-infused sound with this album, the glaring fault here is not the style shift. It's simply that none of the rest of the album's songs ever reach the same heights of catchiness and memorability as the aforementioned singles do (yes, I was hoping the rest of the album would be more of a continuation of the sound found on "Mexican Fender", but I also would have been more than happy with a continuation of the sound of "Feels Like Summer").

I pride myself on being an open-minded person and my consequent ability to enjoy the experimentation of a band or artist, regardless of them taking on a different sound (for what it's worth, Metallica's "Load" and "ReLoad" hold a special place in my heart for being what they are), but while this is far from a bad record, it is nothing I would pay $20 for (or even $15 for the CD version) at a record store either.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it about a 6. My advice: Stick with the singles. If you absolutely must hear the album in its entirety, go listen to it through YouTube and THEN decide for yourself whether or not you believe the investment is worth it.