Weird Nightmare - Hoopla (Transparent orange) LP

Every band worth their salt has a member who once worked in a record store. For METZ, the audacious noise-rock trio that released five albums on Sub Pop between 2012 and 2024, that was singer and guitarist Alex Edkins. While studying, Edkins sold indie rock and hardcore records in his hometown and became an avid student of rock 'n' roll, from the psychedelic 1960s to the DIY 1990s and beyond. Hoopla, the catchy, melodic second album from Edkins' solo project Weird Nightmare, mixes and combines these influences in an entertaining and engaging way, showcasing his sophisticated musical intelligence. "Hoopla" is bursting with hooks and catchy tunes and is exactly the kind of cassette that never gets taken out of the car stereo, but is played again and again, accompanying the summer. "Hoopla" is both new and nostalgic, and will delight your ears. Weird Nightmare's self-produced and decidedly lo-fi debut album was recorded at home during the pandemic and released by Sub Pop in 2022. Weird Nightmare showcased Edkins' indie-rock sensibility with a penchant for unmistakable hooks and infectious, sing-along choruses. On the new studio album, Hoopla, produced with Jim Eno of Spoon and recorded at Seth Manchester's Machines with Magnets, Edkins expands the dimensions of Weird Nightmare even further. New musical textures such as piano, bells, and castanets blend with Edkins' straightforward songwriting, giving these tracks a brilliant sheen. It's as if a beloved indie director has taken a step forward with their first studio film. If their debut album, Weird Nightmare, was an underground crowd-pleaser, much like Richard Linklater's Slacker, then Hoopla Edkins' Dazed and Confused is. "Hoopla" shines with sunny guitar pop, produced with just the right amount of fuzz and crunch. The immediate, no-frills recording puts you right in the studio with Edkins and his rhythm section: Loel Campbell on drums and Roddy Kuester on bass. This is power pop at its finest; these sharp bursts of adrenaline could fit seamlessly into a radio rock block between The Replacements and Elvis Costello & the Attractions. Or they'd fit just as well with Sharp Pins, Ratboys, and Alvvays. At its core, this album is an optimistic, bright beacon of hope in our strange times. With Weird Nightmare, Edkins wants you to know that he still loves the world, and he invites Hoopla's listeners to feel the same. Seize this opportunity to catch a spark of pop magic in our worn-out old world. You deserve it.