Hurley

Weezer - Hurley
Critic Score
Based on 27 reviews
2010 Ratings: #714 / 924
User Score
2010 Rank: #337
Liked by 59 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

91
Entertainment Weekly

Hurley represents a terrific rebound, a blast of sonic sweetness that finds the band integrating ’60s pop influences (Beach Boys; Phil Spector ”Wall of Sound” soundishness) into their tight, punk-pop songwriting.

80
NME
It’s a pleasure to report, then, that ‘Hurley’, the band’s eighth album, is a return to form in a huge way.
76
Spectrum Culture
This is the Weezer we haven’t known for a while, and is a great way to start the new decade.
75
Beats Per Minute

Hurley is a triumph for the band in that it is finally a return to form. As a standalone record, this is arguably their most enjoyable album since Maladroit.

70
Classic Rock

A bonus-track cover of Coldplay’s Viva La Vida is kind of sickly, but generally this album is yet another celebration of a band so comfortable in their own skin that you can’t help but follow their example.

70
The Needle Drop

It might seem impossible, but this album is actually somewhat solid. I can't say it's going to make history in Weezer's discography--maybe for it's cover--but it's certainly a bright spot considering its predecessors were Raditude and Red.

70
Sputnikmusic

While Hurley can in no way compare to The Blue Album and Pinkerton, it sits proudly atop the list of everything Weezer have done since. Sure that may not be saying much, but damn, it's a pleasant surprise.

70
Consequence of Sound

On the whole, Hurley isn’t the catastrophe people probably expected. It’s pretty enjoyable.

70
Drowned in Sound

Those who optimistically purchased Make Believe and Raditude will know that a good first single does not a great Weezer album make, but Hurley is packed solid, with a sense of fun and good-time melodies cropping up at every juncture.

70
SPIN

The band’s aims are more modest now: have fun, get people to sing along, share a common feeling or two. Hurley achieves those goals with something approaching dignity. Phew.

70
AllMusic

Again, Cuomo doesn’t suppress his emotion; he just prefers sentiment (albeit delivered somewhat ironically as on lead single “Memories”), but what he loves most of all is a pure pop song and Hurley offers up its fair share.

67
A.V. Club

As they grow older, Cuomo and his bandmates will never make a record that supplants their fans’ fond Pinkerton-related memories—but a few more impassioned albums like Hurley might erase the sour aftertaste of several Raditudes.

60
No Ripcord

Reminiscing about their nineties days, Hurley is very much a reawakening towards more confessional material. Though it sounds more imaginary than accurate, Cuomo’s calculated verses remain purposely effortless.

60
musicOMH

All told, Hurley is a near return to form for Weezer. Indeed, it’s exactly the album they needed it to be, and it could just be enough to keep both camps of fans interested.

60
PopMatters

Luckily, thanks to some key assists from outside hands, Cuomo rarely falls into the same trap again, and the majority of Hurley is mindless (dare I even say it) fun.

60
Slant Magazine

Considering the decreased role of Cuomo’s actual bandmates, it’s not too surprising that Hurley feels more like one of his Alone home demo compilations than anything Weezer’s ever released.

60
Rolling Stone

Cuomo co-writes with a bevy of A-list song doctors, and calls in cameos from the Jackass crew and Michael Cera, seemingly just for the hell of it. The result: a Weezer record, some great cornball pop-metal tuneage, some irony, some insanity.

50
Under the Radar
Eight years ago this might have been a decent debut for a Weezer-rip-off pop-punk band, but now, even at their best, Weezer too often come off now as self-parody.
50
Pitchfork

Nobody is going to confuse this with 1990s Weezer-- there are still plenty of oddball collaborations (Michael Cera, Linda Perry) for one thing-- but the lows aren't as low or as frequent as they were in recent years.

40
The Guardian
The albums have kept coming, but the world has moved on, and the band's leader, Rivers Cuomo, seems to have lost the sure touch he once had.
40
The Skinny

At least he has some good memories of “playing Hacky Sack backstage when Audioslave were still Rage,” but naming the album after Hugo "Hurley" Reyes only magnifies the fact that Weezer have gotten a little lost in the new millennium.

20
Tiny Mix Tapes

Hurley is, for the most part, chock full of the same mechanical dreck that has peppered Weezer’s last handful of releases, from Maladroit to Raditude.

oh
70

SJO Counter: 47

weezer? more like sneezer!

achoo

MxVA
80

Rivers's daughter: Where’s my sex?
Rivers: Lmao xd kek
(Meanwhile In Weezer HQ)
Brian: Rivers wtf
River’s: Too late loooooooooool post :)

ImpalaLT
59

Video Game Nostalgia: Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit is freaking amazing. There’s a remaster for it on newer generations of consoles, and it’s so good. I recommend it a lot.

That aside, this album suffers from the same problem that the red album has: inconsistency. Some songs are awesome, and some songs are absolute shit. This continues their generic sound from the Green album and Make Believe, but make it a touch worse than the red album. ... read more

AnotherWhiteMan
65

White man tolerated.

s3bbrs
85

WEEZER WEDNESDAY #8:

This is a return to form for Weezer, especially after the goofy silly fun (so bad twas good) nature of Raditude. This feels more mature by comparison, the instrumentation is more complex and interesting. The lyrics are more sensible, until a goblin esc outburst on “Where’s My Sex?”.

Overall, I really dig this record, it’s the first true but of Weezer fun I’ve had since their debut (Red Album deluxe tracks un-included).

Luke_G
60

It’s fine, I guess.

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Track List

1Memories
3:14
81
2Ruling Me
3:29
78
3Trainwrecks
3:21
75
4Unspoken
3:00
81
5Where's My Sex?
3:28
53
6Run Away
2:55
74
7Hang On
3:33
75
8Smart Girls
3:10
46
9Brave New World
3:56
65
10Time Flies
3:46
54
Total Length: 33 minutes

Year End Lists

#13/Drowned in Sound
#17/DIY
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