'OK Human': Ranking the songs on Weezer's new album

Try not to bop your head and tap your feet while listening to Weezer's new album.

Go ahead, I dare you.

While many of us were sitting at home, going stir-crazy during the coronavirus lockdown, members of the beloved rock band were busy (safely) recording a new album, "OK Human." Look for it this Friday.

The album addresses some common themes during the lockdown, including loneliness and, yes, the fact that we're maybe not bathing every day. (Really.)

It was a change of plans for Weezer, which had initially been set to roll out a different album, "Van Weezer," a tribute to the metal bands they listened to while growing up before "OK Human" ("Van Weezer" is now set to come out May 7.)

Through all the uncertainty, frontman Rivers Cuomo hunkered down with his piano, coming up with fresh music inspired by the Beach Boys album "Pet Sounds," released in 1966.

Accompanied by a (masked) 38-member orchestra, Weezer recorded "OK Human," described as "a Technicolor symphonic spree that meditates on how over-and-under-connected we all are," using analog technology. It's the first time the group has used a full orchestra in one of its recordings.

Weezer plans to be on the road this summer for the Hella Mega tour, playing alongside Green Day and Fall Out Boy. The first stop is set to be July 14 at Seattle's T-Mobile Park.

Ahead of the release of "OK Human," USA TODAY ranked the tracks on the album. Be warned, some are far more upbeat than others:

11. 'Mirror Image'

Blah. That's it.

Sample lyrics: "She is my mirror image // Showing me who I am // Until the day that we shower // She helps me understand // She is my mirror image // Showing me who I am // Until the day that we shower // I belong where I stand."

10. 'Bird With a Broken Wing'

This one just seems ... mechanical.

Sample lyrics: "Long ago // I was flying in the air // Looking at the sea below // I was hunting prey // Diving down // In a flash I'd scoop 'em up // Crush 'em up in my mandible // It was such a thrill."

9. 'Play My Piano'

"I haven't washed my hair in three weeks"? Yep, during the pandemic, we've all been there.

Sample lyrics: "My wife is upstairs // My cats is upstairs // And I haven't washed my hair in three weeks // I should get back to // These Zoom interviews."

8. 'Dead Roses'

Not all relationships are meant to be. And that can be depressing, like this song.

Sample lyrics: "Turn the key // And step into blackness // Lamplight falls // And casts a laughing phantom // I imagine your smile and the life that we could share // With the last of my steps I see the truth lying there // Dead roses."

7. 'Aloo Gobi'

We've all been there: Wanting to be far, far away from anyone and everyone.

Sample lyrics: "What's playing at the Arrow? // Some French noir flick // Don't want to sit next to humans // I'm agoraphobic."

6. 'Here Comes the Rain'

Who doesn't like a chill rainy day?

Sample lyrics: "Drops of water // Flood cascading from the sky // And it streaks my windshield // Woah, woah the thunder roars // I open up the door."

5. 'Numbers'

In a world where numbers mean everything, things get awfully competitive awfully quick.

Sample lyrics: "There's always a number that'll make you feel bad about yourself // You try to measure, try to measure up to someone else // Numbers are out to get you // Numbers are out to get you // Numbers, ooh ooh."

4. 'Screens'

We're all guilty of spending too much time staring at screens. Now there's a song about it.

Sample lyrics: "Young girl // Lying flat in her bed // Streaming // Images to her head."

3. 'La Brea Tar Pits'

Would you like a little history with your music?

Sample lyrics: "I was jumping those jungles // There was nothing to find // No mastodon // So that I could be the guy who provides."

2. 'Grapes of Wrath'

A song about ... listening to audiobooks and just being in the moment? Yes, really. But it's not as lame as you'd think.

Sample lyrics: "I can feel my breathing // It's so nice // It's like a blanket on my life // Let me stay here for forever // In this state of classical denial."

1. 'All My Favorite Songs'

There's a clear reason this song was released first. The best of the bunch.

Sample lyrics: "All my favorite songs are slow and sad // All my favorite people make me mad // Everything that feels so good is bad, bad, bad // All my favorite songs are slow and sad."

(One last track, "Everything Happens For a Reason" is brief and purely melodic, lasting just 24 seconds.)

Follow Gary Dinges on Twitter @gdinges

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Weezer's 'OK Human': All the album's songs, ranked