Weezer

Formed in Los Angeles in 1992, the nerd-rock band Weezer was originally made up of singer/guitarist Rivers Cuomo, bassist Matt Sharp, and drummer Patrick Wilson. They added rhythm guitarist Brian Bell to the lineup just before recording their 1994 self-titled debut, which could become known as The Blue Album. Featuring UK and US hit singles “Undone - The Sweater Song” and “Buddy Holly," the record peaked at Number 16 in America and went triple platinum. Sharp left to pursue solo efforts after the release of the band's second album, Pinkerton, in 1996, with the group bringing Mikey Welsh aboard for The Green Album in 2001. Hit singles like "Hash Pipe" and "Island in the Sun" maintained Weezer's place on the charts, as did the band's 2002 release, Maladroit. The group returned in 2005 with the Rick Rubin-produced album Make Believe, which hit Number 2 on the US Album Chart and featured the stomping “Beverly Hills.” The group released The Red Album in 2008, Raditude in 2009, and Hurley in 2010. Their ninth album, Everything Will Be Alright in the End, was released in 2014 with follow-up, The White Album, in 2016. After a tour with Panic! at the Disco in 2016, they issued the California tribute Pacific Daydream in 2017. After being ceaselessly requested on social media to cover the Toto hit “Africa," Cuomo relented and the song became a surprise radio hit in 2018, which led to an all-covers LP, The Teal Album, in 2019. That was followed two months later by The Black Album, a purposefully darker record than the three that preceded it. The band announced the release of Van Weezer in 2020 and planned a massive stadium tour with Green Day and Fall Out Boy to promote the LP, but the COIVD-19 pandemic forced the album and accompanying tour to be postponed until 2021. Meanwhile, Weezer also continued to work on an album of symphonic pop/rock songs, recorded with a 38-piece orchestra. The result, OK Human, was released in January 2021, followed several months later by the previously-delayed Van Weezer.