Below, Cuomo breaks down Weezers new LP and how the group keeps churning out radio-ready gems.
When Im writing a song, Im age-agnostic, he says.
I have Dropbox folders full of MP3s and then a Google spreadsheet called Parts that has countless ideas.
Credit: Jeremy Cowart
One example:Pacific Daydreams twinkling Weekend Woman dates back to the sessions for 2001s Green Album.
Learn to codeCuomo also has a spreadsheet titled Lyrics that he says contains approximately 5,500 really cool lines.
There are usually 10 to 15 options; I just try them out to see which ones work magically.
Ive always done it this way, and it feels like a necessary part of my process.
Set ground rulesForDaydream, Cuomo self-imposed a ban on the wordgirlto refresh his writing.
He also creates instrumental restrictions.
Just about everything was verboten, he says.
To me its the biggest departure, Cuomo says, citing EDM-infused tunes like Feels Like Summer.
Take notes everywhereSpecificity might be Cuomos defining trait as a lyricist.
The next morning, I get up and I just write down everything that happened.
Its generally full of unique nouns that have never been in a pop-rock song before.
Im not invited to some workshopping, he notes.
They get to explore and do their thing without worrying about what Im thinking.
Im invariably delighted when I hear the results.
