This is Weezer’s fourth self-titled record, and seems to be a return to form, from the catchy opener California Kids onwards (“Just get going / ‘Til you hit the ocean / And you turn Californian”).

The album apparently tells the tale of geek and girl: they meet, fall in love, split. The opener is said geek moving to California and by track two Wind In Our Sail they’re off, going by way of (Girl We Got A) Good Thing to the end of the romance, Endless Bummer (“I can’t even dance in the dark / Cause my headphones are still on the seat of her car.”)

Musically it’s, well, Weezer, but good Weezer. We guess geeky college kids in America love this, with its preppy feel and clean sound. There are some catchy tunes, too; it’s all good but the likes of California and Good Thing are simple, catchy and effective.

Lyrically it’s as inspired as ever, with clever-clever lines such as “We got the wind in our sail / Like Darwin on the Beagle / Or Mendel experimenting with a pea”; barking mad lines such as “God took a rib from Adam, ground it up in a centrifuge machine / Mixed it with cardamom and cloves, microwaved it on the popcorn setting” and soppy lines as befits love songs, such as “We could ride a Greyhound all the way to the Galapagos” and “We could self-publish a book of our philosophy / And hand it to the tourists”. They stick to what they know, but it’s entertaining.