In case you missed the news, earlier this week it was revealed that Weezer would be releasing a new album, OK Human, next Friday, January 29th via Crush Music/Atlantic Records.
The album comes out before the previously scheduled Van Weezer — the big riffs rock album Weezer made as an homage to the metal bands they loved growing up — which was set to accompany the Hella Mega tour, originally scheduled for this past summer. However, as the tour got postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so did Van Weezer (now set to be released on May 7th).
For OK Human, though, it serves as a polar opposite to Van Weezer, as frontman Rivers Cuomo wrote most of the album on the piano. The outcome is a very different album that took inspiration from another monumental record from Cuomo’s youth: The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. Throughout the summer of COVID-19, he and the band — along with a 38 piece orchestra — chipped away at masked recording sessions using all analogue technology until the record was complete.
OK Human may serve as a cheeky nod to Radiohead’s OK Computer, but sounds nothing like Radiohead’s seminal album. Instead, it’s a technicolor symphonic spree that touches on how over yet under connected we all are, especially in a year where we are able to see each other virtually easier, while not being able to physically be near one another. In addition to it being the first time Weezer have ever featured full orchestration on any of their records, OK Human also features some of the most personal songs Cuomo has written over the last decade. The songs are further brought to life and shine brighter and bolder with splashes of string and horn arrangements courtesy of album producer Jake Sinclair and arranger Rob Mathes.
Weezer has never been afraid of doing things their own way, and releasing two albums in one year — a guitar-driven rock record and orchestral pop album — which serve as a juxtaposition of one another, is very on-brand for the eclectic band. And today, Weezer have shared the first single from the album, “All My Favorite Songs,” which serves as an introduction to the album, giving you a glimpse into the experience that is OK Human.
Listen to “All My Favorite Songs” below, followed by the album artwork, track-listing, and re-scheduled Hella Mega tour.
Artwork:
Track-listing:
- All My Favorite Songs
- Aloo Gobi
- Grapes of Wrath
- Numbers
- Playing My Piano
- Mirror Image
- Screens
- Bird with a Broken Wing
- Dead Roses
- Everything Happens for a Reason
- Here Comes the Rain
- La Brea Tar Pits
Weezer tour dates: