Rivers Cuomo on Weezer's Gold Album, Lore Project, and Reconstructing His Father's Letters

In a New Yorker interview, Rivers Cuomo, frontman of Weezer, discusses the band's twentieth studio album, the Gold Album, released this month. The album features guest vocals from Karly Hartzman of Wednesday and was co-written by drummer Patrick Wilson, with production by Kenneth Blume and Klas Åhlund. Cuomo reflects on the band's experimental history, from pop to classical, and the new album's raw, live sound, recorded without a grid. He also details his ongoing 'Lore' project, an exhaustive archive of his life experiences, which gained urgency after his father's death in January, when he discovered a trove of letters that reshaped his understanding of their relationship. Cuomo discusses his father's abandonment, their reconciliation, and the emotional impact of these findings. He touches on his teaching at NYU, his skepticism about AI's artistic value, and his 'attention budget' inspired by his mother. The interview also covers the band's performance on the Tonight Show, where Cuomo wore a gold lamé suit, and his reflections on fame, failure, and the changing music industry.