On April 1, 2016 Weezer shocked the world. Self-titling their own album for the fourth time, and adding in new producer Jake Sinclair to add a youthful sound, they made a lasting impression with their voices and their message, and weren’t afraid to be themselves. Titled “The White Album”, Weezer proved that even being around for 23 years, their music is not dead.

Right off the bat with first song “California Kids”, Weezer displayed a brand new vibe to their music, shocking in comparison to the heavier, typical band kid rock. With ocean sounds and seagull calls, the song sets the mood for the rest of the album, suprising fans and making them think, “Is this really them?”

Even married at 45, lead singer of the band River Cuomo is still a teenager at heart, writing songs like “L.A Girlz”, and “Thank God For Girls”.  Keeping a spreadsheet of extra lyrics to add in to songs, he used a new technique to make each piece unique and exciting. Each member of the band added their own particular new sound, and listening to some of Weezer’s oldest albums, you could never guess it was the same artists.

The order of songs in the album is incredibly well organized, ranked perfectly in order to send a message, and bring back the Weezer we all know and love, telling us fans not to give up hope just yet. Since the beginning of the Weezer geek-rock sound, The White Album is at the top of the charts for all-time favorite Weezer albums.

Probably the most controversial song in the album, popular “King of The World” had some eyebrows raised with Cuomo’s reference to the hard life of his Japanese wife, Kyoko Ito. The song included lines such as, “Dad hit you on the hand, just for holding your chopsticks wrong,” and “Then your mom locked you in a shed, and Uncle Sam dropped an atom bomb.” Getting special permission from his wife to talk about this heavy topic, River wanted to include her in the album in some way, and recognize and acknowledge the ghosts in her closet.

49,000 copies of the album were sold in the first week, and it reached Number 4 on Billboard 200.  The album sold out in many music stores around the country, and once people got a taste of Weezer’s new sound, they were eager for more. Wondering myself if this was the end of the bands long-standing career, or if they will shock the world once again with another different colored album, all we can do is wait and hope that they won’t disappear just yet.