WEEZER - Make Believe

In Italy, Weezer are simply remembered as "the 'Buddy Holly' guys".

Overseas, they're adored by critics and audiences alike, so much so that their first two albums are (rightly) regarded as among the most interesting pop records of the Nineties.

Their new album, "Make Believe", is exactly what you'd expect from Rivers Cuomo's band: cheerful power-pop with punk overtones. The same formula the band has been serving up for more than ten years.

And yet "Make Believe" works.

What is it that makes us embrace this album, while slating, say, the latest Oasis record?

Well, the answer is consistency. But also, and above all, sincerity.

"Preppy girls never looked at me/ why should they?/ I ain't nobody" sings Cuomo on the fun, first single "Beverly Hills". And there's no doubt the band's frontman truly believes what he's writing.

A genuine nerd, Cuomo (like his bandmates) never had the makings of a rockstar, so much so that the unexpected success of Weezer's debut album nearly pushed him to a breakdown.

The result was "Pinkerton", the band's most tormented work, steeped in deep despair (as much as Nirvana's "In Utero" was) and shot through with fierce irony — it turned out to be a resounding commercial flop.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then: Weezer have made two more albums (at least on the surface lighter in tone), but they're still here telling us about love gone wrong, losers overlooked by girls, loneliness and broken friendships. With a touch more hope than in the past, though.

After the opener "Beverly Hills", one of the catchiest things Cuomo has ever written, comes "Perfect Situation", the record's best track: a perfect pop-rock song in which the frontman completely bares himself ("All I have to do is swing/ and I'm a hero/ But I'm a zero") before giving way to a long, gorgeous guitar solo (bringing to mind Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis), and a chorus as simple as it is infectious.

The same goes for "Peace", another gem on the album, a ballad as simple as it is touching.

"This Is Such A Pity" sounds like it stepped straight out of an Eighties disco, synths proudly on display, while "We Are All On Drugs", a rousing satire of rich kids who think they own the world from behind the wheel of their Mercedes, is yet another punk-rock anthem.

"My Best Friend", an ode to friendship, is a bizarre mix of punk and the Motown sound, and "The Other Way", the story of a shy lover, draws heavily from Buddy Holly's rock 'n' roll (go figure!).

There are definitely a few missteps: "Hold Me" is a soporific chant in which Cuomo, at his worst, begs his love to hold him tight.

"Freak Me Out" has some interesting sonic touches (the piano in the background), but is equally tedious (as is the closer "Haunt You Every Day").

The change in production, handled here by Rick Rubin, is almost imperceptible, but can be noticed in a cleaner sound and a gradual move away from the punk rhythms that defined the previous two albums.

In short, the years go by, but Weezer don't seem to feel time passing: they're still the same kids they always were.

It's up to you to judge whether that's a good or a bad thing, but that doesn't change the fact that "Make Believe" is one of the best pop albums released this year.

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30/04/2026