Weird Nightmare is the "poppy" side project of Metz frontman Alex Edkins, and its debut album is very much the flip side of his punk-rock day job. Where Metz aggressively grinds, Weird Nightmare revels in the giddy sweetness and joy of early '90s indie rock. Edkins has noted that Metz is "more about fighting against certain traditions in music; this was embracing them." That includes everything from open D chords to cheerfully bouncing beats. (One thing both bands have in common: The music is meant to be cranked all the way up.) "Lusitania" is exultant, bobbing along like Guided By Voices channeling the Kinks. Edkins has said the song captures the spirit of the whole album: "Musically, my goal was to make songs that would make people feel good. This idea of waking up from a terrible dream or winter changing into spring. Momentary relief." (Mission accomplished—and all the more impressive considering the song's name is aligned with a luxury cruise liner tragically sunk in WWI.) The Pixies-ish "Wrecked" is the sound of pure abandon: like a summertime amusement park ride where you just have to throw up your arms and let the air-time velocity take you. Bonus points for Bully's Alicia Bognanno joining the fun with her powerhouse vocals. "Darkroom" (which is apparently about fighting off bad habits) is full of whiplash guitar bends and a gleeful solo that definitely doesn't worry about perfection, while "Nibs'' is all about gloriously warped distortion and "Dream" slip-slides, like a big old car fishtailing over wet pavement. Hyper "Searching for You" sounds like the Pixies covering the Ramones, and that is an absolute compliment. "Oh No" veers closest to Metz, with psych-folk singer Chad VanGaalen guesting on the garage-punk churn. Seemingly spent by all that expended energy, the album takes a sharp left turn to close on "Holding Out," seven dreamy minutes of a blissed-out comedown. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz