Weezer

Pacific Daydream

With last year’s Weezer (White Album), they found themselves on the right side of the critics and were initially supposed to follow it up with the aptly titled Black Album. Instead, they’ve reappeared with an album influenced by the idea of a “beach at the end of the world”. Pacific Daydream, feels just like that; a day dream that, for some reason, doesn’t quite sit right.

Much of the album’s electro-lite flavoring does provide some hummable moments, but as the cringingly tricked out "Mexican Fender" and stomping chants of "La Mancha Screwjob" suggest, they’re most likely to suffer a slow and gradual death at your local Forever 21.

If you like hooky Weezer, about half of the albums should appeal to you, while the same applies if you’re partial to the more out-there Weezer. Pacific Daydream is the band’s first offering to fall far short for both camps—not because it’s one of the most extreme examples of Cuomo going for a radio-friendly sound (though it is that), but because he betrays the band’s mission in the process.

While all of Pacific Daydream is typically well-crafted—with expert production, luxurious swaths of guitars and effects, and those still-tight harmonies—it highlights that, at this point in the band’s career, what Weezer could use most is some digression. Instead, what Pacific Daydream offers is little more than another reason to tour.

Weezer indulge in millennial pop cliches on their most sugar-sweet album yet, Pacific Daydream.

Pacific Daydream isn’t the worst thing that Weezer has ever done, but it commits a far greater sin than just being flat-out bad: it’s completely forgettable.

With at least half of these songs, there is almost nothing to say, nothing to be baffled by, nothing to argue about, and for that sad, whimpering reason, Pacific Daydream can probably be called Weezer’s worst album.

They’re hit or miss.  Let’s just hope they haven’t run out of steam just yet.

I remain unconvinced that the majority of Pacific Daydream isn’t just Rivers doing it for a joke. It’s so generic and pitch-perfectly idiotic for it not to be.

Weezer have had their share of ups and downs over the years, but Pacific Daydream finds them at their most clunky yet.