Weezer (White Album)

Pitchfork 6.2/10 We listen to Weezer in 2016 largely for nostalgic dog whistles ... Most of all, we listen for reassurance that our beloved Weezer can avoid relapsing completely into embarrassment—and by those parameters, mediocre may as well be magnificent.

A.V. Club C After enduring low points like Make Believe and Hurley, Weezer fans finally have their favorite band back making music that’s both catchy and emotionally resonant.

The Needle Drop 8/10 Damn, Weezer! Back at it again with the White Album!

The Line of Best Fit 8/10 This isn't The Blue Album. This isn't Pinkerton. Nothing Weezer have released in the years since ever could be. That doesn't mean the band can't make good records. It just means they just spent a few too many years choosing not to.

NME 4/5 For the most part ... ‘Weezer’ is Cuomo’s 634th attempt to recapture the vivacity of his band’s 1994 debut and the savage rom-pop glory of its acclaimed cult follow-up ‘Pinkerton’, and with more success than usual.

Evening Standard 2/5 A few years ago, a disenchanted Weezer fan tried to crowd-fund $10 million to persuade Rivers Cuomo and his bandmates to retire. Listening to their tenth album, you feel it wouldn't have been such a bad deal.

Rolling Stone 3.5/5 Cuomo has been aggressively trolling fans of his youthful-sincerity phase for the past 15 years – which is five times longer than his youthful-sincerity- phase actually lasted. Weezer's fourth self-titled album is a sustained Beach Boys parody, with tunes like "Wind in Our Sail," "L.A. Girlz" and "Endless Bummer."

DIY 4/5 This is no pastiche of so-called ‘classic’ Weezer. Nostalgic, yes – ‘Wind In Our Sail’ and ‘Jacked Up’ both edge towards the theatrical, while ‘(Girl We Got A) Good Thing’ is brazenly Beach Boys-esque in its melodies – but this isn’t a band replicating past glories to sate grumps’ receptions.

All Music 4.5/5 The 2016 installment of Weezer isn't nearly as messy as the group's last color-coded eponymous record.

Under The Radar 6.0/10 Although The White Album is predictable in that its singles are stand-outs, that just feels like another way that Weezer are doing a great job at sounding like Weezer.

Pop Matters 7/10 It will satisfy the band’s longtime fans that are still weary (and wary) from a decade of really dubious music from the band. But it also manages to add some new wrinkles to Weezer’s overall sound.

The Guardian 3/5 This being late-era Weezer there are of course some erratic songwriting decisions – the dorky half-rhymes of Thank God For Girls – and a fair bit of filler (Jacked Up, (Girl We Got a) Good Thing are entirely unmemorable), but there’s also enough here to stir feelings of nostalgia in anyone who fell for the band the first time around.

Spectrum Culture 60% Weezer sounds like something close to Weezer again.