SoundBites: Weezer, US Girls, Iron Maiden, All Saints

Weezer

It was perhaps only a matter of time before Weezer ran out of colours to name their albums.

And so we can expect a self-titled - but also known as "white" - album, due April 1 and featuring the quirky if not awkward single Thank God For Girls. Sample lyrics: "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." Yep.

The new record is their 10th studio album, the follow-up to 2014's Everything Will Be Alright In The End.

It's described as a "beach album" and is said to be a return to their 90s glory "combining the "brashness and unpredictability of Pinkerton with the summer grunge pop of the blue album," according to publicity.

US Girls have released a video for Navy & Cream ahead of Monday's Auckland show.

It's the first New Zealand gig for the act, aka Meg Remy, whose album Half Free has garnered strong reviews, including from NME who said it was "the unmistakable sound of a star being born".

The video sees Remy working with animator Emily Pelstring. US Girls will perform at Whammy Bar on March 7 - tickets at undertheradar.co.nz. Album review here

Meanwhile Iron Maiden this week offered 666 tickets priced $66.60 to their May 1 Vector arena concert. The show is part of their Book of Souls World Tour, which kicked off in Florida last week.

All Saints

Never say "never ever" again. Nineties girl group All Saints are back with new single One Strike.

One Strike is a "perceptible call to arms for anyone who experiences a single moment, perhaps a phone call or conversation, that changes your life completely", according to promotional material.

The quartet, including X Factor NZ judge Melanie Blatt, will follow the song with their fourth studio album Red Flag in April.

Revisit a classic

In amongst indie rock band Weezer's self-titled "colour" albums you'll find the odd gem.

Twenty years ago, between the blue and green albums came Pinkerton, a record which at first puzzled many and disappointed many others, but which over time took on cult status.

Its chant-along lead single El Scorcho is a modern classic (albeit 20 years old) while singer Rivers Cuomo's various flawed and vulnerable personas introduced themselves on songs like The Good Life and Pink Triangle.

There's nothing quite as powerful as Say It Ain't So from the first album, but for many fans this second of 10 albums is as good as it gets.