Over the weekend, 15 previously unreleased covers appeared on Rivers Cuomo’s YouTube page with little explanation and even less warning. That said, how much background is really needed to check out the Weezer frontman’s take on Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” Nirvana’s “Drain You,” and Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” among other genre-spanning classics? You can listen to those below; find the rest of the covers on his channel.
Uploaded as a private playlist called “randum cuverz,” the collection also includes renditions of Green Day’s “When I Come Around,” Radiohead’s “Creep,” Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road,” Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” and Outkast’s “Hey Ya!” A number of the covers date back to 2018 and 2019, while others are more than 20 years old. Although some fans have speculated about their origin, a representative for Cuomo confirmed to Pitchfork that they are, in fact, of his making. Cuomo himself has yet to comment on the releases.
In March, Weezer announced a fall North American tour, set to kick off in September. Earlier this month, their 1994 self-titled album—colloquially known as The Blue Album—was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.
Read more about Weezer (The Blue Album) at No. 91 in The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s.