The Rasmus – Weirdo Album Review

Review By Ian Walker

For nearly three decades, The Rasmus have carved out a space in rock where shadowy atmospheres meet arena-ready melodies. Their eleventh record, Weirdo, released September 12, 2025, via Better Noise Music and Playground, shows that the Finnish veterans are not only still relevant, but also daring enough to evolve without losing the spirit that made them international icons.

From the opening rush of Creatures of Chaos, the record wastes no time in reminding listeners of their knack for blending heavy riffs with modern polish. It’s a track brimming with menace, lifted further by the crisp production from Marti Fredriksen and Desmond Child, who helped shape much of the material. That balance of cinematic weight and radio-friendly hooks continues through Break These Chains, a pulsating anthem that thrives on urgency and layered vocal drama.

The lead single Rest in Pieces may clock in under three minutes, but it captures The Rasmus at their most effective: lean, melodic, and hauntingly direct. By contrast, Dead Ringer and Banksy lean into darker textures, carrying an art-punk edge that pushes their sound into adventurous territory.

The centerpiece, of course, is the title track. Featuring Lee Jennings of The Funeral Portrait, Weirdo is both a declaration and celebration of individuality. Its chorus, built for massive crowds, reinforces Lauri Ylönen’s long-standing message of empowerment for outsiders and misfits. It’s a natural continuation of themes he has championed since the band’s earliest days.

Elsewhere, songs like Love Is a Bitch and You Want It All show The Rasmus flexing their pop instincts, while Bad Things and I’m Coming For You return to brooding, riff-driven territory. The album flows like a carefully sequenced live set, switching gears but never losing momentum.

What sets Weirdo apart from previous outings is its duality: it feels both nostalgic and current. Working across multiple studios in Nashville, Vancouver, London, and Los Angeles, the group embraced diverse production approaches without fracturing the cohesion. Each track sounds distinct yet tied to the same vision, making the album a unified whole rather than just a collection of singles.

Lyrically, Ylönen is at his most candid. His reflections on identity, resilience, and embracing one’s own strangeness strike a chord in a world that often prizes conformity. He no longer views the label “weirdo” as an insult but as a banner to rally behind, turning personal experience into communal strength.

The band’s connection to real-world issues adds further weight. Their headline performance at Ukraine’s Atlas Festival this summer underscored not just their enduring popularity, but also their willingness to stand in solidarity through music. That passion carries over into the record, which brims with urgency and defiance.

Weirdo is more than a milestone for a band with countless accolades and millions of sales. It’s a reminder of why The Rasmus continue to matter: they create music that unites people who don’t fit the mold. With stadium hooks, shadowy aesthetics, and heartfelt conviction, their latest release is both a tribute to their past and a bold step into the future.

At its core, Weirdo is an anthem for those who have ever felt on the outside looking in. And with The Rasmus extending their invitation — “Weirdos, unite” — it’s hard not to accept.