2.5/5

It is time to admit it. Weezer will never match their first album’s critical success with it’s pure, ’90s-garage-punk-alt gold. But it’s not the ’90s, and Weezer, now on their 10th album, is a band of millionaire dads.

Once you move past the fact that Weezer has already blown through their greatest material, Weezer, the band’s fourth self-titled album, is an enjoyable romp down the beaches of Los Angeles. From the opening riff on optimistic “California Kids” to the closing notes of the melancholy “Endless Bummer,” the surfer vibe is always there. It may not be front and center, but it permeates the album.

That being said, Weezer’s album is nothing ground-breaking. In truth, most of it seems forgettable. Eventually, the beachy themes become monotonous and the songs blur together, and not in a good way. Individually, the songs are well-done and some are rather good, like “Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori,” “Jacked Up” and “Do you Wanna Get High?” All of these sound and feel different than the beachy-good-times feel of the rest of the album.

This is a slightly above-average album, and one of Weezer’s better efforts, but ultimately will be little more than an afterthought in their now 24-year history.