Weezer released new music last Wednesday and, to the disappointment of many fans, it wasn’t their highly anticipated Black Album, which was promised to come out last May by lead singer Rivers Cuomo.
“California Snow” is the stand-alone single Weezer made for the upcoming film Spell.
The movie follows an American illustrator who roams around scenic Iceland after the death of his fiancée.
Weezer’s latest song goes in the direction of pop, but it doesn’t sound like a gimmick this time.
The band’s last album, 2017’s Pacific Daydream, had singles that strayed away from the band’s genuine sound of rock and nerdy lyrics.
Some songs that begged for radio play and had an EDM feel from Daydream included “Feels Like Summer,” “Happy Hour,” and “Beach Boys.”
In the case of “California Snow,” this is what the band should’ve aimed for if they wanted to delve into the world of pop.
The song kicks off with tantalizing synthesizers and an electric guitar chord progression that’ll suck you right in.
Then, the 48 year-old Cuomo raps clever lyrics before the bass drop with, “Walk soft with a big stick, woo/ When I play guitar it’s sick, woo/ This is the definition of flow, woo.”
Although the lyrics aren’t written by Shakespeare, the chorus is catchy. Cuomo reaches the high notes and belts, “California snow, never let me go” throughout most of the song.
It gets repetitive, but the chorus will be stuck in your head.
The rest of the lyrics are the opposite of “definition of flow.”
There is no clear meaning of the song because the band goes on different tangents in between each chorus.
However, this isn’t a song to pick apart.
Weezer’s goal was to put together an enjoyable pop song and they did it without being obnoxious in past attempts, like in Daydream.
Over the summer, the band toured across the country with The Pixies and released the surprise hit cover of Toto’s “Africa,” which reached Number 54 on the Hot 100.
Last Monday, the band released a music video for “Africa,” which starred Weird Al Yankovic. It has already racked up 350,000 views on Youtube.
“California Snow” may not generate the same amount of heat “Africa” did over the summer with fans, but it provides a bright future for the continuously evolving band.
