Weezer Enters Studio To Work On Next Album

LOS ANGELES (Top40 Charts) - Weezer's fourth album, Maladroit, isn't even out yet, but that hasn't stopped the band from looking forward to album No. 5.

According to the band's official Web site, Weezer entered the studio on Sunday (March 3) to start recording its next album. The site says, "Two very new and one somewhat older songs were worked on."

As we reported last week, Rivers Cuomo and his bandmates took it upon themselves to send out an eight-song sampler to journalists and radio programmers, accompanied by a hand-signed letter by the band (which did not mention their record label, Interscope, at all). The advance release included the tracks "Dope Nose," "Keep Fishin'," "Fall Together," "Death and Destruction," "Slob," "Slave," "Take Control," and "December," all produced by Weezer and mixed by Tom Lord Alge.

The label wasn't too pleased with the band's initiative (not wanting the album leaked to radio too early) and had Cuomo write a letter to radio stations nationwide asking them to hold off on playing the new material. Many stations, including modern rock leader KROQ in Los Angeles, started playing the track, "Dope Nose," the first single from the album, which is expected in April.

Interscope was unreachable for comment at press time.