As the ninth studio album in their now two decades of commercial success, Weezer’s “Everything Will Be Alright in the End” functions as a reflection on years past and a look into the future for the alternative rock band.

The sounds on the album are fairly diverse, ranging from the fully distorted garage-pop that they have come to be known for, to a slightly more acoustic and folky sound that is a bit more foreign to them.

Early on in the song “Cleopatra,” harmonica can be heard, which complements a more bare bones sound that Weezer tries out several times on the record.

Lead single, “Back to the Shack,” beckons comparison to their Blue Album in several ways. The vocal melody in the chorus feels reminiscent of early

Weezer and the lyrics to the song suggest the most pivotal time in any band’s career – the early days.

The entire song is packed full of nostalgia about practicing in a shed using a “strat with a lightning strap,” which, more or less, sets up the mood for the rest of the album and establishes Weezer as a band who maybe never really left their roots.

Their second historical metaphor track (“Cleopatra,” of course, being their first) “The British Are Coming” feels like, with slightly less production, it could have made in onto Pinkerton.

On the other hand, “Lonely Girl” feels a little more along the lines of material reminiscent to their Green Album or even Maladroit.

While some of these songs are better than others and a lot of the album just feels like rehashing over previously charted territory, there does still seem to be a bit of boldness to “Everything Will Be Alright in the End.”

At this point in their career, Weezer understands they have already hit their musical and professional peak and are coming down from it. This album is there recognition of the glory days and the inevitability of no longer being contemporary or relevant.

The darkness in some of the album’s lyrics makes for a bittersweet touch that feels necessary to the band’s catalogue.