Dear Weezer,
As I sit in my car and blast your 1996 masterpiece Pinkerton — an allusion to Madame Butterfly — I feel an urge to comment on your newly released single, “Feels Like Summer.”
I’m sorry, Weezer, but I’m contemplating breaking up with you.
When asked which bands are in my Top Five, I constantly rank you as my second or third favorite of all time. Your nerdy, garage-rock style — heard especially in albums like Blue, Green, and Maladroit — was always prevalent in my playlists. I also cried (very hard) the first time I saw you live, which was this past summer at BB&T Pavilion in Camden, NJ.
I never truly thought I could hear a song of yours that I absolutely did not like (and I’ve listened to Raditude and Make Believe all the way through)…until now.
Look, Rivers, I get it. You’re “experimenting.” Experimentation and growth in the music scene are crucial, yet it seems as though you are simply pandering to a “millennial” audience by adding an almost EDM-like flare to this single. Sorry, it just doesn’t make sense to me. If a more modern artist put out a tune like “Feels Like Summer,” I’d shrug and ignore it. But Weezer — we have history together.
(Disclaimer: No hate to those who like EDM. I went to Firefly last year; I understand the craze. I just don’t understand why a rock band from the ’90s has adopted this particular sound. Are you losing money? Do you need a loan or something? You could’ve just asked.)
Reflecting upon some other rock bands that have revitalized their music career by releasing new albums in 2016–2017, it is safe to say that none of them have completely altered their sound from rock to electronic. Sure, Blink-182’s California (2016) contains some pop-sounding tunes, but at least they’ve stuck to their roots of pop-punk. Even Green Day, who are older than you, are still alive and kicking without any use of faux-instruments. Truth be told, I think you should’ve just stuck with your crunchy power chords and meaningful lyrics to keep the original fans hanging on. Perhaps I’m just being a music-purist, though.
As a self-proclaimed “old-school” Weezer fan, I am utterly disappointed in this song. I can only pray that there is some more diversity within this next album of yours. At least provide me with one last taste of something similar to “Pink Triangle,” I beg of you. For now, I shall weigh the pros and cons of our relationship and see if I want to keep holding on. Until then…
Sincerely,
A Disappointed Fan