When a band with more than two decades of career releases a new album, the challenge isn’t always to sound different—but to sound genuine. Weirdo, the eleventh album by The Rasmus, doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but it does deliver something honest: a band still standing, still reflecting, still needing to speak through music.
The production is the first thing that stands out—clean, wide, layered. Tracks like Creatures of Chaos and Break These Chains blend guitars with synth textures, creating a cinematic sound that updates their gothic rock without abandoning its roots.
Some songs genuinely struck a chord with me. Rest in Pieces balances lyrical darkness with energy. Weirdo, the title track, works as a manifesto: embracing your difference and surviving through it. There's sincerity in that, especially from a band that's weathered so many changes over time.
Still, not everything hits with the same force. Love Is a Bitch and Fireflies feel more generic, like they play it safe to stay relevant. They’re not bad tracks, but they don’t carry the same emotional depth as the album’s strongest moments.
Another issue is structural repetition. Many songs follow the same pattern: soft verse, big chorus, bridge, outro. It leads to some mid-album fatigue, where tracks start to blend into each other.
But the closer, I’m Coming for You, stands out. It’s subdued, intimate, and brings real emotional closure. No fireworks—just vulnerability, and that’s powerful in its own right.
Weirdo isn’t perfect, but it feels authentic, and that matters. It’s The Rasmus without pretense, reflecting rather than posing. And when a band can still sound like that after so many years, they’ve earned our attention.
