Weezer- Hurley

Weezer’s newest release and their first on Epitaph, Hurley, can’t help but stand out due to Jorge Garcia’s beaming face on the cover. Yet, the cover may be the most original aspect of the album itself.

On the opening track, “Memories,” lead singer Rivers Cuomo laments his age, with its obligations and responsibilities, and longs for the days “when Audioslave was still the rage” and his own fledgling band was just starting out. This sets the tone for the rest of the album, as Cuomo and company return to craft songs in exactly the way that made Weezer famous in the first place.

Almost all of the album’s 10 tracks (14 in the Special Edition) employ Weezer’s signature post-grunge pop sound, with crunchy guitar hooks and enormous, sing-along choruses. The subject matter is also classic Weezer, from nerdy admiration (“Smart Girls”) to desperate high school angst (“Ruling Me”) to self-deprecating wordplay (“Where’s My Sex?”).

The two notable exceptions to the pack are “Unspoken,” an acoustic ballad of frustration that builds gradually into explosive hard rock, and “Time Flies,” a fun folk romp that, like “Memories,” gives a shout-out to the good ol’ days. And, ironically, the four songs exclusive to the Special Edition, including a cover of Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida,” are all stellar.

Unfortunately, the band’s eagerness to rely on the sound they helped to create over a decade ago results in an LP with little variation or replay value; many of the songs are too formulaic and simply blend together. Fans will be pleased with Hurley’s general return to form after 2009’s disappointing Raditude, but overall it will only register as an average entry in Weezer’s catalog.