Weezer's Rivers Cuomo and Patrick Wilson break down their new album and much more in our new interview

Weezer will hit a rare milestone Aug. 21, releasing a 20th studio LP, The Gold Album, after maintaining a relatively stable line-up for most of their existence  — bassist Scott Shriner is still the newest member, and he joined 25 years ago.  Even more impressively, the album — co-produced Klas Åhlund and Kenneth Blume, who worked Geese’s Getting Killed — is strong from start to finish, living up to the first two singles, “Shine Again” and “We Might As Well Be Strangers” featuring the band Wednesday. 

In a new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now, founding members Rivers Cuomo and Patrick Wilson talk about the new album, the newfound viral success of the Bethany Cosentino duet “Go Away” from 2015, and much more. To hear the whole thing, check out Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or just press play above. Some highlights follow:

Wilson wrote “Shine Again” without thinking about Weezer at all. “I think of nothing,” he says of his songwriting process. “I didn’t even think it was a Weezer song. One day I was like, ‘Oh.’ It all just poured out, and I recorded it, and on a whim I just brought it in.” “

The viral success of “Go Away” has given Cuomo a new philosophy about the entire Weezer catalog. “If it can happen with ‘Go Away,’ it could happen to any of our songs,” he says. “Maybe five years from now there’ll be some new platform, and people will go back through our catalog and find something else. I’m just happy when people hear our music.” Cuomo acknowledges the song’s success helped convince him to try another duet for “We Might As Well be Strangers.” “[Wednesday’s Karly Hartzman] sat right down and said, ‘Okay, here’s my idea,’ and she just pulled out some text file on her phone, and Kenny played the track, and she sang it to me,” he recalls. “I was just blown away.” 

Wilson says burnout led to Josh Freese filling in on drums for last year’s tour — but he says he hopes to return to drums for Weezer’s 2026 shows. “Last year, it’s kind of a long story, but I was just burnt,” Wilson says. “I was not in a great place, and a lot of it was physical, which of course makes you emotionally feel lame as well.” He’s been grinding through physical therapy. “I have what every drummer has to go through — your thoracic region from years of bad posture is, you know, happening. I’m 57. I’m just trying to get straightened out so that we get through the tour and we’ll be the classic version.” As for whether Freese returns: “So far there’s no plans. But I won’t lie, I love playing guitar.”

September marks the 30th anniversary of Pinkerton — but the band has no particular plans to celebrate it. That’s a notable contrast to 2024, when the band marked the Blue Album‘s 30th with a full arena tour, playing the LP front-to-back. “We’re all just so jazzed about the new record,” Wilson says.. “Why is 30 such a thing? You would think 20 and 25 — but no, it’s always 30. [Maybe] because you’re 45 when you’re celebrating it, because you bought it when you were 15.”

Download and subscribe to Rolling Stone’s weekly podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Check out nine years’ worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth interviews with artists including Mariah Carey, Bruce Springsteen, Questlove, Halsey, Missy Elliott, Dua Lipa, Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Yungblud, Rick Ross, Alicia Keys, the National, Brian May, Roger Taylor, Ice Cube, Taylor Hawkins, Willow, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Charlie Puth, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, and Gary Clark Jr. And look for dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with Rolling Stone’s critics and reporters.