OK Human
| Weezer
OK Human
OK Human is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Weezer, released on January 29, 2021 by Crush Music and Atlantic Records. Inspired by Harry Nilsson's Nilsson Sings Newman (1970) and the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds (1966), the album was recorded entirely with analogue equipment and features a 38-piece orchestra. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Rolling Stone
it’s Weezer’s attempt at pathos (or bathos in Cuomo’s case) that makes OK Human feel, well, more human. If Cuomo could ever let his guard down fully, without feeling self-conscious, he probably has a great album inside of him.
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Pitchfork
Rivers Cuomo pays tribute to his hermit orchestral-pop heroes, name-checking Harry Nilsson, Serge Gainsbourg, and Pet Sounds. But of course, it's all Weezer in the end.
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Variety
On ‘OK Human,’ Weezer Is Still Weezer, Even With an Orchestra.
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The Dartmouth
Weezer’s 'OK Human' a sincere, dynamic return to the band’s roots.
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PopMatters
On the contrary, the new material presents Weezer in a new light for the first time in over a decade—no small feat for a band that looked to be in a creative rut, with no surprises left up its sleeve. If nothing else, OK Human proves that you can never count Weezer out. They may just deliver that "return to rock" masterpiece someday. Just be patient. Ya never know...
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Stereoboard
Cuomo’s lyrics have been glib and somewhat unknowable for some time, leaving listeners to focus on craft over insight. When that half of the bargain falls away, there’s not that much left aside from the gnawing feeling that we’re hanging on for something that will never come, that we’re playing ourselves. Acceptance is hard to come by.
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Under the Radar Magazine
Although the album is fresh, it’s still distinctly Weezer-y and may not necessarily be for non-Weezer fans. The record isn’t groundbreaking material, but it’s definitely nice to have a new Weezer album that isn’t trying to recreate their old material and instead looks to the future of their sound.
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AV Club
OK Human likely won’t convert any new followers, save for maybe a few fans of the same old-school muses Cuomo is aping. But it should remind Weezer’s doggedly loyal fanbase that the singer’s ear for melodicism remains second to none—and when the musical accompaniment rises to meet the challenge, as it often does here, it’s a testament to why we keep coming back.
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Sputnik Music
OK Human is an oddity and a warm digital hug; it's Weezer reacting to an endless, nerve-shredding, social-life-destroying period of isolation the way only Weezer can, drawing further inwards to themselves but somehow inviting us along for the ride. All of which to say: in Weezer's arms, don't you feel safe?
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Drew's Reviews
I don’t know about gorgeous but certainly mostly fun.
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The Daily Californian
Weezer’s ‘OK Human’ is frustratingly yet endearingly OK.
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It's All Dead
Slightly more focused, OK Human could have been the next legendary Weezer album. That said, it’s still an incredible work of art that mostly succeeds at its experimentation. In terms of Weezer’s discography, it sounds distinct and vibrant, and oddly seems to stand amongst the louder of the band’s legendary catalog. If nothing else, it proves that Weezer still have so much left so say.
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The Upcoming
Cuomo and the group have very much succeeded in creating a sumptuous slice of orchestral pop. Perhaps they should be adventurous more often.
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Commedia
“OK Human” is not the best album, but it’s something new and is better than the recent things Weezer fans have heard. The effort is noticeable, and people want to hear more. Orchestra pop rock? Bring it on, Weezer.
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Sound In Review
OK Human waxes poetic on themes of loneliness, disconnection, and reaching middle age alongside references to Mrs. Dalloway, Blackpink, the La Brea Tar Pits, Audible, and vegetarian Indian takeout, among others. Weezer shows a profound sound pallet past the alt haze of the 90s, creating a beautiful orchestral pop album with excellent, enduring melodies.
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Justin Hoenke
OK HUMAN is an album that is lovely. OK HUMAN is an album that is full of love. OK HUMAN is a masterpiece in the Weezer catalog. OK HUMAN is the album that shows why I stick with Weezer. I may have to wade through so much shit to get here but albums like this are worth it.
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The Soundboard
OK Human just kind of exists in a between-album limbo, where it’ll presumably be forgotten as quickly as it was announced given that it’s really not much of anything to write home about. And when Van Weezer does come out, that’ll likely be even more true.
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Overblown
Weezer return with a surprisingly successful orchestra backed record.
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The Needle Drop
Weezer's 2021 output is off to a great start with OK Human.
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Steemkr
OK Human is an album worth listening to for the first time and that's enough because I really doubt that anyone will feel like listening to this whole album and feeling the dullness it brings.
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NME
The guitar heroes have – gulp – ditched the guitars for a bold new direction. The result is an evocative, intimate record that'll make you pine for the old world.
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All Music
Nevertheless, the album feels like a departure: with its soft orchestral balm and sweet melancholic undertow, OK Human offers a singular, complete listening experience unlike anything else in their catalog.
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Paste Magazine
Nearly 25 years after their landmark album Pinkerton, the band makes a surprising and effective orchestral pivot.
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Kerrang!
it is a wonderful thing to hear Weezer still actually sounding like Weezer here. That they’ve achieved this while pushing their creative boundaries with an orchestra only underlines it. And the best part is, when the time is right and we go back to stadiums again, they’ve still got what promises to be the perfect album to celebrate with left in the chamber.
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musicOMH
These moments of light and shade are everywhere on OK Human, and in addressing them Weezer have made one of their most catchy and insightful records to date. Covid might have derailed the band’s plans, but as the short but sweet instrumental towards the end of the album states, Everything Happens For A Reason.
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The Fire Note
Musically, Cuomo’s strong melodic sensibilities and playful wordsmithing works, and while the orchestrations tend toward predictability, they work best when you remember that the whole disc is an homage to a by-gone era, and they work at conjuring that magical symphonic pop sound.
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Cryptic Rock
A breathe of fresh air, Weezer’s Ok Human hits the spot as one of the more enjoyable releases of 2021 so far.
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Dead Press
What makes ‘OK Human’ such a strong addition to the band’s extensive canon, however, is just how sincere and genuinely emotive Cuomo seems, with some of the most vulnerable material that he’s penned in years.
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No Ripcord
Weezer’s maddeningly inane lyrics sometimes work, but they aren’t doing much to move the needle here. At least the album sounds nice, as that’s more than you could say for plenty of previous albums from Cuomo and the gang. We might as well enjoy it.
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Vinyl Chapters
The other members absolutely has their involvement but some the biggest reasons this album works has more to do with the production and the additional hired hands since this is such an unconventional album. They never lose sight making this is a Weezer record though, so expect the many usual ‘Weezerisms’, just in more of a fancy setting.
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California Rocker
This is the best Weezer has sounded in years.
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The Eastern Echo
Overall, I really like this album. Weezer is one of the names I get excited to hear, so when I heard they released a new album I immediately jumped on Spotify to check it out. I recommend the album to anyone looking for some chill out pop. If that isn’t your style, I’m sure Weezer will have something else you’ll enjoy.
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