Andrew’s Judgmental Album Reviews: Weezer – SZNZ: Winter (2022)

So we’ve been on this Weezer journey since Spring. The warmer months they seemed to nail the vibe as well as have some catchy songs. Autumn however, was a train wreck. Do we get a Winter album that encapsulates the feelings and tones of the season; or just a quirky album of mediocrity?

Weezer is: Rivers Cuomo (vocals/guitar), Patrick Wilson (drums/backing vocals), Brian Bell (guitar/backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass/backing vocals)

• Artist: Weezer
• Album: SZNZ: Winter (2022)
• Label: Atlantic/Crush
• Total Track Time: 21:35

I Want a Dog it’s god a bit more of a rock theater vibe musically, but a colder month should be a little heavier. As for the song, its pretty straight forward. Some of the lyrics throw in despair and cynicism, but the hook seems to be that he just wants a dog. Dogs are great, so no issue there. Iambic Pentameter comes off like a song about someone struggle to get their point across. Granted some of the imagery comes off a bit on the pretentious side, that almost makes the overall desire to wish to communicate more poignant. “I wish I could say it all to you in iambic pentameter (Pentameter), I’d improvise high notes like Thelonious when he’s jammin’ it (Jammin’ it), I’d let it all out, And there’s no doubt you would help me understand, What the hell is inside this messed up head, And you’d always be here for me” – see, simple concept, complicated by nerdy images. Basketball is a weird metaphor using a team game and shooting the ball to get across a desire for companionship and being afraid to take his own shot with someone. While not terrible, its definitely not what I was expecting with the title of basketball, “I was counting on you, you’re the one who gets me, When I try my best, you shoot a cannon of confetti, I’ve been growing colder, you’ve been getting bolder, But I believe I still have a shot”. So far the album has been a weird amalgam of optimistic depression. Wanting a dog to connect with, wanting to be able to communicate better and now wanting companionship.

Sheraton Commander is a little bit of an interlude where Rivers is a bit disenfranchised returning to his college stomping grounds. This one is less about want, and more sullen reminiscence. Dark Enough to See the Stars returns to the feelings of solitude, but its masked in a somewhat more up-tempo almost as if musically masking the emotions that people tend to naturally do. Everyone deals with fear, solitude and depression differently, and unless you ask, they’ll see mostly normal. “It’s dark enough to see the stars, I wonder who and where we are, Solitude is all I know, And as the years pass by it grows” – while not an untouched topic, I appreciate the arrangement and everything that went into this song. The One That Got Away almost sounds like its got aspects of Musetta‘s waltz in it, but as for the song…we’re still on the depression kick. The title leaves nothing to the imagination, he’s pining over an ex that got away. The Deep and Dreamless Sleep seems to basically be many people’s answer to grief and pain, a drug induced sleep. Xanax, Ambien, or of course the non-prescribed type of pills. The instrumentation gets a little more into an arena rock vein as the song comes to an end, symbolizing slipping into the deep and dreamless sleep.

Now as much as I’d love to have a similar complaint to Autumn, all of his despair makes sense for Winter. Winter is painful season for many, you start to remember who’s not around anymore because of the added pressures of “family events”, which only get compounded if you lost someone around the season. So for as happy go lucky as Winter is for some, I think focusing on the loss, pain and solitude feelings is a larger umbrella that Weezer did fairly well with. Is it as good as the first 2? Not at all. But it’s still clever, accurate and written much better than Autumn.

Weezer ended strong after having a shaky third album.

Final Judgment: 6.9/10