Last Thursday John Mayer released his single “Love on the Weekend,” which is the first time he has released new music in more than three years. Fans have eagerly awaited the pop rock/blues/folk musicians’s new work. After 2013’s Paradise Valley album, John Mayer fans were left with mixed emotions. That album was very folk sounding, relying heavily on simple acoustic work. To me, it was a nice change of pace and it certainly added diversity to his plethora of music. However, many fans were dissatisfied and wanted the return of the guitar virtuoso incarnation of Mayer.

“Love on the Weekend” is definitely a return to the pop scene for Mayer. It reflects the work on his first couple albums, which consists of radio hits such as “Your Body is a Wonderland” and “Why Georgia.” The new single lacks the bluesy guitar hero vibe that his music on Continuum demonstrated. While I prefer the guitar based music John Mayer has put out, I have nothing against this new song or any of his pop music. After all, being able to consistently produce radio hits is what got him famous, so I have to respect that. “Love on the Weekend” does not disappoint and entices the listener into a soft buzz, or euphoric feeling that his music never fails to give.

From a musician’s standpoint, “Love on the weekend” couldn’t be more simple. A simple chord progression of G-C-D is a standard pop formula that is ear candy to most listeners. The song has a very ambient sound, with heavy uses of guitar effects such as reverb, delay, and chorus. The mix sounds massive, even for being such a simple tune. Even without a guitar solo, the simple two chord bridge the song has is enough to make any guitar player smile. This song is all about simplicity in terms of musicianship.

The rest of the album, titled The Search For Everything should be out in early 2017.