Topics: Pop Culture

During the pandemic many things were delayed or cancelled, among them was Weezer’s still upcoming album Van Weezer. So it was a pleasant surprise when they just announced their album “OK Human” would be released next week. The full album will be released on January 29th but they dropped the first single “All My Favorite Songs” today and opened preorders for the full album on CD and Vinyl. The Vinyl Album comes in a few limited variants including Weezer Flesh, Alien Green Slime, Test Tube Clear, and Black. It will be available to stream on all the major streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify. There will also be a “Control Room Chaos Splatter” edition that is only available at indie record stores.

For myself I will be getting the Alien Green Slime Vinyl, luckily I snagged it early this morning as they are all sold out except for black. Preorder and Listen

The album was recorded during the pandemic using only analog technology and is thematically speaking about making real human connections with each other. Something that is quiet difficult right now with social distancing and quarantine restrictions. But it’s also more important now than it ever has been, technology is controlling and consuming our lives. Weezer had this to say about the inspiration for the new album:

“OK Human was made at a time when humans-playing-instruments was a thing of the past. All we could do is look back on ancient times when humans really mattered and when the dark tech-takeover fantasy didn’t exist. We used our instruments to connect to the 1960s and 1970s and, with the orchestra, back to the 18th and 19th centuries. We had no click track or loops or hi-tech sounds. Not even an electric guitar.”

– Weezer

In the video for “All My Favorite Songs” we see lead singer Rivers Cuomo completely enamored with his Google phone and even starts the video by saying ” hey Google, record a video.” We then see them start recording the new track and transition to a teen on a computer trying to talk to a girl. “All my favorite songs are slow and sad” the song starts as we see the boy watching the girl he likes through her social media. Eventually we see the girl staring back at him through her screen and she climbs through the screen to meet him in the flesh. Through this song and video we see how our lives are utterly consumed by our phones and social media. Right now its not always possible or safe to meet friends and family in person but we can’t forget about that human connection. When this pandemic is over we have to remember how to be social in real life. We need to get our head out of our phones, live our lives and enjoy the beauty of the world around us. There is some irony that you are probably reading this on a smartphone right now and I’m trying to get you off your phone. Mobile devices are tool and they are amazing, but there has to be more. Listen to this song and watch the video, next week I’ll review all the songs on the album and discuss the message behind them. Do something analog, read a book, make an actual phone call instead of text. Make a connection with the world and people around you, just be kind and be safe.