Thanks to period pieces, and a cautious creative industry; 80s nostalgia will soldier on. Whether it be the cool ideas for films and T.V. Shows being retold again, or carried, or the evergreen synthesiser-driven hits, being played for the foreseeable future and influencing newer artists to create inspired tracks. In 2019, after the unbridled success of a meme landed them high up in the billboard charts, veteran rock band, Weezer, took to covering some more classics, fulfilling the cycle in the Teal Album.

After a Twitter campaign convinced the iconic alternative group to cover hit Toto staple, Africa, the explosive success led to the band seeking out more iconic tracks to lend their magic. The Teal Album is 10 tracks worth of covers, including 80s legends like Tears For Fears, and Eurythmics, but also one or two tracks from just before. Also joining the eclectic yet popular set list is an appearance from TLC’s No Scrub. While not as entirely 80s as the name and artwork suggest, the album is a celebration of some of the catchiest chart-toppers by the alternative legends.

The set list imminently springs to the eye, a celebration of 80s hits, a quintessential collection picked from all the quintessential songs you would think of (no Blue Monday, but what are you going to do?). Even then it goes back to the 70s for some E.L.O and Ozzy Osborn. It is no surprise that the tracklist was largely based on listening data from Spotify, creating a feedback loop where the most popular songs were chosen. While you give the people what they want for a project like this, it would have been equally interesting to see some bands’ inspirations represented here, much like Duran Duran’s Thank You. Still, the Spotify-sourced selection offers some recognisable hits, while a song that the internet exploded the popularity of was the foundation of this project, the internet’s top choices have also helped pick out the rest of the album.

The guys behind El Scorcho and The Sweater Song are well aware of the irony of the project, with the flagship cover, Africa, enlisting the talents of maestro Weird Al Yankovic. The Video of Take On Me also features an appearance from retro actor Finn Wolfhard. Twenty-five years after their debut Blue Album, the band is now dressed as if they stepped out of Miami Vice. They commit to playing the tracks playing them as faithfully as they can, so you can finally rest easy knowing what Everybody Wants To Rule The World would have sounded like if Rivers Cuomo had sung it. 

The Teal album is a cover album with its tongue ever so slightly pressed against its cheek, here is Weezer, the band that ran the gamut from Pinkerton to Beverly Hills, covering 10 classic tracks because an internet campaign blew up. Weezer feel like they are in on the outward absurdity of the project, even when they cover the tracks faithfully. While everybody wanted to rule the world, Weezer continued to celebrate this little blue planet’s screwy charm and history.

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