The autumn season has just begun and as promised, Weezer (“Buddy Holly”) released the latest EP in their “SZNZ” collection on Sept. 22. It features seven songs and is the band’s ninth EP record. Weezer dropped “SZNZ: Autumn” hoping to follow the success of its predecessor “SZNZ: Summer.” To their ever-loyal fanbase, it is more than they could have possibly asked for. To listeners who are not complete die-hard fans, the only thing this EP seems to do is “fall” flat in comparison to their more commonly praised radio hits.
If you find it hard to believe that this is the same band that made “Pinkerton,” you would not be alone because the lineup went through various changes before and around 2001. Since that year it has consisted of Patrick Wilson on drums, Scott Shriner on bass guitar and Brian Bell on rhythm guitar. Shriner and Bell also provide backing vocals and play keyboards. The “SZNZ” collection is meant to be musically different from itself in all four releases and the band has certainly delivered on that condition. The spring EP was light and happy with more acoustic measures, the summer one was more angsty and wrought with guttural metal flavor. Allegedly the winter EP will take on an even more depressing tone than the current one, as the setting of each release changes. According to weezerpedia.com, “SZNZ: Autumn” is meant to take inspiration from Franz Ferdinand (“Take Me Out”) and The Strokes (“The Adults Are Talking”). To call this EP a shortcoming seems fair considering how badly the lyrical content was handled. Lead singer Rivers Cuomo clearly has a knack for poetry, but it seems that musical talents of his bandmates are being wasted on poor execution of the words. While dedicated fans noticed the significance of a certain bridge in “Run, Raven, Run,” the lyric “I’m your spirit animal/I’m going cannibal” grinds the song’s thoughtful storytelling to a halt. The bridge in question features lyrics from “Pacific Sunset,” a song that Cuomo recorded around 2015 which was later demoed for “OK Human” but did not make the cut. It is a shame that such dedication to continuity was overshadowed by poorly chosen lyrics.
In true Weezer fashion, “SZNZ: Autumn” comes with its ripoffs of other great songs. The song “Can’t Dance, Don’t Ask Me” features a very unsubtle copying of lyrics from Robert Palmer’s 1979 hit “Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor).” The track “Should She Stay or Should She Go” seems like a swipe at the 1982 smash hit done by The Clash (“Should I Stay or Should I Go”). Cuomo is known for borrowing words that other bands already came up with and giving them his own spin, which to some degree is, admittedly, inspiring.
What was most interesting was that Cuomo sampled “Winter” from baroque composer Antonio Vilvaldi’s “The Four Seasons” for the song “Tastes Like Pain”. As far as lore goes, this makes sense with Cuomo’s whole theme of seasons for this collection. Lyrically, “Tastes Like Pain” is expertly crafted and showcases that signature Weezer flair. But it deserves the talents of a more hardcore band to keep up with its content. It feels like Cuomo is attempting too much edge for a garage band past its prime and unfortunately, “SZNZ: Autumn” comes as a disappointment despite the band’s best efforts. Let us hope their next release will fare better.
Image from Weezer via Weezer.com
