Love, heartbreak, reflection, anger and sadness: all topics and feelings that many deal with it over the course of their life. Also not very fun feelings to experience. But these are all topics that are discussed in the songs on the new album by Weathers Are We Having Fun?
Alternative rock band Weathers released their third studio album Are We Having Fun? on May 5 through Sumerian Records. This album discusses all the struggles, conflicts, ups and downs of relationships. Everything from losing friends, watching your ex move on, realizing how toxic a relationship was and more. Through emotional vocals, synthesizers, roaring guitars, strong drums, groovy bass and powerful lyrics, the group tells clear stories throughout the album and creates a cohesive sound that will have you putting the album on repeat.
On Are We Having Fun? Weathers have evolved and grown as a group and create a strong, well produced and cohesive album that showcases their talent as a group. From songwriting, to production, and everything in between, Weathers have shown they are a group to be watched and stronger than ever. This album feels like they were discovering their sound and they can only go up from here.
The themes of the tracks all center around relationships and the ups and downs that come with love and heartbreak. Sonically, the songs are cohesive in that they all have strong instrumentals and emotional lyrics, however, the songs do not all sound exactly the same. Each song has at least one unique element that differentiates it from other tracks. Some have a more dancey, pop feel. While others like “Where Do I Sign?” (a top five favorite of mine) have a dark, heavier rock sound and others have a groovy sound. The album takes your ear on a journey and keeps you interested and engaged to see what else the group will bring to the table.
The band manages to tie the different parts of the album together in a small way that you may not catch right away. Following the track “She Hates Me” is “Interlude,” which takes the melody of the previous song and flows into another melody that we will hear later on. Leaving the listening wondering, how this interlude will connect to the rest of the album. We learn that the melody is from the closing track, “Little Castaway” creating a complete circle from the beginning to closing a – small little detail that adds just a little something extra to the record.
My top song on the album, which has been on repeat since it dropped, is “ALL CAPS (feat John The Ghost).” This track has an extremely catchy chorus that will have you singing along after one listen. Lead vocalist Cameron Boyer and John The Ghost’s voices sound fantastic and compliment one another during the few moments we hear them together. The pre chorus features drums and guitar that feel like you are running and rushing you to a finish line, creating an anxious feeling as the chorus hits. Then it tones down and goes right back to full instrumental. This use of dynamics goes along with the theme of the song talking about a rocky relationship where you have this distrust of a partner and lack of communication. The sound has this dancy feel to it, but the lyrics are full of anger and frustration, but yet sonically that dance sound works to imitate that feeling.
Two of my other favorite tracks on the album happen back to back on the album. The first track is “Carsick.” This track brings a more darker sound and feel to some of the other moments on the album and can hear some of the more emo, rock, grungy influences on the track. On this song, Cameron Boyer sings about watching an ex move on and how hard it can feel. At the same time thinking about how that person was not good for you, but you still have feelings and would go through it all again. It is a very guitar and drum heavy song, with some strong electronic guitar lines towards the end. Boyer’s vocals are laced with pain and longing, bringing the painful, and relatable lyrics to life, even a subtle scream moment right before the closing line, to emphasize the frustration.
The next track, “Drama Queen” is a contrast to the previous. This groovy bass and synthesizers with the acoustic guitar create a bouncy and cool sound that will have your head bouncing. This is a sassy track that talks about someone who was in your life that caused trouble and drama and you are happy is gone. Once again, Boyer’s vocals add the tone of the sound with a bit of sassy undertone. The line, “I think if the good die young then you might live forever” sums up the overall theme of this song completely. The little moments of dropping the instrumental and vocals lower for a moment then bringing it back up for the chorus or the soaring guitar moment with driving drums really tie the song together. It is a fun song that is the perfect song to scream along to while driving or rocking out alone.
A stand out song on the album is when the group slows it down on the track “Goodbye To My Friends.” This track finds the group exploring a more acoustic sound with a very emotional vocal from Boyer. On this track, the lyrics talk about letting go of people, specific friends in your life. Boyer sings about wondering if his friends are better now and if they still think about him. Instrumentally, it is simple with some light drums, guitar and bass in the verse. The chorus adds in some extra kick, but still simple, letting the lyrics tell the story. The sadness and questioning is heard in Boyer’s vocals brings the song to life. Adding in a soaring guitar solo in the bridge adds an extra level of emotion to the song which is paired perfectly with the ending of the song having Boyer repeating, “it’s okay, I’ll see, I’ll see you again” as the song gets quiet and drifts off into the final track.
Further emphasizing the diversity of sound on the album is the opening and closing tracks. “Little Castaway” is fast paced, full of funky bass, synthesizers, and dancey melodies. The lyrics discuss the person in your life who you let get away who you cannot stop thinking about. It feels almost like a party song that is meant to get you moving. The groovy bass and guitars and almost clappy drum beat cannot help but make you move. Whereas “One Of A Kind” is a more mellow, mid-tempo song with a more somber feeling. The chorus feels larger with in your face guitar and drums that is meant to emphasize the emotions behind the lyrics. Boyer almost feels like he is screaming at the lyrics discussing feeling like giving up and wondering if there is a version of him that is happy. Overall, you just picture a dark, somber image as you are listening.
Weathers gave it their all on Are We Having Fun? The group demonstrates their evolution and growth as musicians, as well as where they can go. The band answers the question that no, the events and feelings behind these songs are not fun and detail why in their lyrics. Across all 12 songs, the listener can draw a connection to their own life and relationships.
Are We Having Fun? was released on May 5 on Sumerian records and is available on all streaming platforms. You can purchase a physical copy of the album on the band’s official website.