Weird Nightmare is the solo project of Alex Edkins, best known as the singer-guitarist of the noise-rock band METZ. Weird Nightmare’s eponymous first album was a self-produced, lo-fi affair, recorded during the COVID lockdown. The new record, Hoopla, is not. Edkins recruited Spoon drummer Jim Eno to co-produce with him, and the result is just over 30 minutes of mostly sunny, upbeat power pop.
The record’s singles effectively demonstrate where Edkins is coming from. “Pay No Mind” opens with a jagged but simple guitar riff, followed by Edkins shout-singing about being broke. He also claims, “With the game on the line / I’m gonna gonna gonna choke / Although it’s never my intention,” which is one of the album’s most memorable lines. “Pay No Mind” is interesting, as the melody mostly comes in the verses and from the guitar riff. The melody in the chorus, which is just “pay no mind” repeated several times, is so simple that it doesn’t really count as a hook.
“Might See You There” is anchored by another catchy guitar riff, while the chorus features male and female vocals harmonizing. In lieu of a bridge, the short song features pounding piano in the outro, adding another layer to the track. The upbeat “Bright City Lights” also features female vocals by Julianna Riolino and is a full duet. Edkins sings the first verse, Riolino the second, and they’re together on the chorus. Having Riolino in such a prominent role makes “Bright City Lights” a great change-of-pace song.
“If You Should Turn Away” is another change-of-pace track, taking its cues more from 1960s jangle pop than from power pop. It’s mid-tempo and sweet, even bordering on gentle. The guitar tones are more appropriate for that era, which is especially noticeable on the low-register hollow-body guitar solo. Little touches of castanets and shakers add to the feel, making the whole song a big success.
The pounding “Never in Style” might be the best version of Weird Nightmare’s take on power-pop. It begins with four-on-the-floor drums and a southern-fried distorted guitar tone, with a second layer of guitars adding to the sound. It backs off at the beginning of the verses, though, giving the song solid dynamics. As the song pushes back into the noisier chorus, piano chords and even a glockenspiel add texture. At 4:30, “Never in Style” has time to explore its ideas fully, and because the main melody is so strong, it doesn’t wear out its welcome.
Meanwhile, most of the other songs dig right into straightforward power-pop. “Headful of Rain” focuses on Edkins’ voice, letting him sing nearly a cappella until the full band kicks in after 30 seconds. “Forever Elsewhere” is high-speed, with a great vocal melody and a memorable guitar hook in the chorus. “Little Strange”, by contrast, leans into chunky guitar riffage without focusing as much on melodic hooks.
As a sucker for power pop, Hoopla should be right up my alley. However, as a fan of power pop, I also feel pretty attuned to the nuances of the genre. As far as that goes, Edkins gets the tone and style of classic power pop exactly right. The legacy of the Replacements and early Elvis Costello coats nearly every song on Hoopla. Edkins writes and performs solid songs throughout. Yet only a couple of tracks rise above this pastiche to approach greatness all on their own. So Hoopla is a fun, breezy listen, but it’s not the kind of album that, as the press release puts it, is a cassette tape that never gets ejected from the stereo.