After we announced that Weezer would release a new album in September, we’re sure many of you had flashbacks to flying dogs and made up words. Sure, Raditude was good and all, but there may have just been something missing, that certain Weezer X-factor. Thankfully, though, it seems like their next album may be a chance to regain the magic. Well, at least someone’s magic.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, frontman Rivers Cuomo said Hurley, the band’s eighth studio album and third album in as many years, would invoke the spirit of ’60s pop music. That devotion to all that was groovy and hip even saw the band collaborate with Mac Davis, who wrote “In the Ghetto” for Elvis Presley. Other songwriting collaborators include the always busy Ryan Adams; sadly, though, no Lil Wayne this time around. There will be, however, a track called “Smart Girls”, which Cuomo likened to The Beatles’ “Back In The U.S.S.R.” in that it sounds like a “cheesy Beach Boys type of song.”
This newfound sound also comes with a new label. After leaving Geffen Records earlier this year, the band recently signed to Epitaph, the label run by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz (and confirmed by a late-night Tweet by Cuomo). Yes, that means the band will now be labelmates with the likes of Social Distortion and Rancid. As for the decision to go with Epitaph, Cuomo said that the punk label is a “smaller and more appropriate operation for what we like doing at the moment.”
Check out a partial tracklist below. As always, we’ll have more details, including an official tracklist and album art, when they’re announced. Plus, don’t forget about that deluxe Pinkerton reissue out October 5th. Hurley hits stores September 14th via Epitaph.
Hurley Partial Tracklist:
01. Time Flies
02. Memories
03. Ruling Me
04. Hang On
05. Smart Girls
