Weezer - OK Human

Weezer release a weirdly heartfelt album that captures the feeling of being in quarantine really well. Sure sometimes the lyrics can be a bit cringe but...is that really a negative at this point like that's part of their charm?

Anyways, this isn't quite what I was expecting when I first heard about this album months ago but as a Weezer fan of both old and new sounds I can say that this Weezer album is quite great and as touching and compelling as these guys can get. It's not like full of depth or super serious but there's just something about all the strings and the way Rivers sings these songs that makes it feel the loneliest album you've ever heard this month even if the dude is name dropping brands and products in the same song he sings about battling big brother.

Idk man the strings just make the album, it feels like the whole record was build around them and the whole vibe of this record is amplified by them. It's not just like some background noise to make it sound epic but something essential to these songs that make them the way they are. The only thing I wish was different is that there isn't much variation in the tracklist sonically, its very very consistent and cohesive but maybe it sticks to its sound too much at times which might result in people who listen to this in the background thinking it all sounds the same when that's not really the case imo.

Playing My Piano is my fav song from the record by quite a bit, it's easily one of my fav Weezer songs now, the strings instantly give a very familiar and nostalgic sound to it and once the piano comes in, it sounds like fucking magic dude. This song is just something else.

And I feel like the instrumentals for the most part all kinda fit that familiar and nostalgic sound and I can't put my finger on why but it kinda felt like I already heard these but clearly didn't, it's not a negative because it kinda makes me think about when I was like super young for some reason. At times the album can be very playful and sound like he is making music for little kids but it never goes too far in that direction to where it feels like you are just listening to shitty music made for 3 year olds y'know, if anything it gives the album some sort of comfort in it's lonely vibe, it balances out the tone of the album well enough.

I gotta be honest, listening to this I've never felt lonelier and yet more hopeful, it made me feel like I was in that zone where it barely feels like I'm listening to music anymore it's like I'm just talking with a friend and at the end of the day this is what the album does best, it gives you some sense of comfort, all of these familiar sounding strings, melodies and chord progressions, all of this playful childlike yet somewhat depressing feel, it's all supposed to give you comfort and Ok Human feels, well, human. It's as I've previously said, like you are talking with a friend, about all the stuff that's been going on, about all the bad things and how you've barely kept yourself together but also the whole time you both try to stay positive, whether it be by trying to be as hopeful as you can or by making stupid jokes to make each other smile and/or laugh and it doesn't matter how bad the joke might be because it still makes you feel happier and it makes you feel comfortable in what would otherwise feel like an uncomfortably depressing conversation, for that I adore this album.