To commemorate the first day of summer in the northern hemisphere, Weezer have shared the second instalment in their ‘SZNZ’ EP series, and announced a series-spanning residency on Broadway.
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‘Summer’ comes as the second of four instalments in the ‘SZNZ’ anthology, with each record sporting seven tracks on its digital release (and eight on vinyl) and landing on the first day of its corresponding season. ‘SZNZ: Spring’ was released on March 20, while ‘Autumn’ is slated to arrive on September 23, followed by ‘Winter’ on December 21.
Each record in the series also has a unique sonic palette. While ‘Spring’ tapped into a cruisier side of Weezer’s artistry, inspired by dream-pop and indie-rock, ‘Summer’ is a much heavier record. It evokes the style of their ‘Pinkerton’ and ‘Maladroit’ records, with crunchy riffs, booming hooks and striking lyrics.
Have a listen to the full ‘SZNZ: Summer’ EP below:
In announcing the ‘SZNZ’ series, frontman Rivers Cuomo teased that ‘Winter’ will be inspired by Elliot Smith and ‘Autumn’ by The Strokes, while another instalment was inspired by Weezer themselves. Cuomo didn’t clarify which of the four EPs that one would be, but it’s likely that it ended up being ‘Summer’.
In addition to the release of ‘Summer’, Weezer have today (June 21) announced a five-date series of back-to-back shows at the Broadway Theatre in New York. Each gig will see the band perform one of the ‘SZNZ’ EPs in full, starting with ‘Spring’ on Tuesday September 13. They’ll play ‘Summer’ the following night (September 14), before doing ‘Autumn’ and ‘Winter’ on Friday September 16 and Saturday 17, respectively.
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The fifth show, dated for the Sunday September 18, is billed as an “encore” performance, likely to feature selected cuts from all four of the EPs. All five of the shows will also sport a unique set of songs from the rest of Weezer’s 15-album catalogue, including last year’s ‘OK Human’ and ‘Van Weezer’ records. Tickets for the shows go on sale this Friday (June 24) – find them here.
Weezer’s ‘SZNZ’ Broadway Theatre residency dates are:
SEPTEMBER
Tuesday 13 – ‘Spring’
Wednesday 14 – ‘Summer’
Friday 16 – ‘Autumn’
Saturday 17 – ‘Winter’
Sunday 18 – ‘Encore’