After taking an almost four-year break, John Mayer has come back with new music in the first weeks of 2017. His seventh studio album, The Search for Everything will be released in parts, with Wave One hitting the market on January 20. This wave has four songs, including “Love on the Weekend,” Mayer’s single from the album.

Mayer has expressed that The Search for Everything is a major piece of his quest for soul searching as he gets back to his roots. His past two albums weren’t as popular as his pop-rock hits from the early 2000’s. Born & Raised and Paradise Valley explored some western-inspired music melded with his popular lyric writing skills.

In the Search for Everything, Mayer goes back to his true niche of a blues-rock guitarist, with a pop singer’s voice. The four songs he has released so far are soulful and reflective, giving perspective on where Mayer’s mind is.

“Moving on and Getting Over” is the first track on the Wave One album. It’s a light, straight-rock inspired tune that is very simple, something unusual for a Mayer song. “For all my running, I can’t understand/I’m one text away from being back again,” he sings. The song expresses the sometimes-desperate want to rekindle a past relationship, even though you know it’s not the right decision. He struggles with himself in this song, moving back and forth between wanting to go back and realizing the necessity of moving on.

“Changing” is a soul-searching song based on the life changes that Mayer has been experiencing over the past few years. “I met me someone, changing, we had some fun, changing. Sometimes I wonder if she’ll be the one when I am done changing,” he opens with. It can be assumed that he could be talking about his last major relationship with popstar Katy Perry that was of high interest to the press and the public. Layered in heavy harmonies, Mayer uses the swaying style to convey a calm and content message that he’s in no rush and has no desire to be perfect. “I am not done changing,” rings the chorus. Another simple arrangement for Mayer, his voice dominates the track and builds to the end, adding more sound as the song goes on, eventually hitting its highest point with a raunchy guitar solo and finishing in the calm simplicity it started with.

The single “Love on the Weekend” has been on radios across the country and is another laid back tune that’s perfect for a car ride with someone special. It talks about a long-distance relationship and how the moments that two people are together are the ones that are meaningful. A light piano melody carries the song throughout, backed by a simple drum beat and a lot of reverb.

The most ballad-like song of the record is “You’re Gonna Live Forever in Me.” Mayer spends most of the song in his falsetto range, adding grace with his melody and lyrics. A whistle conveys the melody between verses as the only thing adding to the simple piano chords in the background.

Mayer is about to embark on a North American tour featuring himself, his band and his trio, with the second leg to be with his band Dead & Company.