Weezer is coming to Penticton this weekend, and whether or not the weather co-operates, for them it Feels Like Summer.

The latest single is a sneak preview of the next album the Los Angeles rockers are working on, but with a busy festival season putting a slight damper on the recording schedule. Bassist Scott Shriner said they are hoping for a fall release.

There have been indications the new Weezer record is taking on some stylistic changes, but as far as the single being indicative of that, Shriner said there is still tweaking to be done.

“We recorded it differently than we’ve recorded a lot of stuff. It got produced differently and we’re still kind of working on the song while we’re performing it live,” Shriner said. “That version is out there, but I kind of also feel like by the time the record is being put together we will have more of a band version that will surpass that.”

The recording and production are taking on a different spin with some songs being recorded as a group, while some are made without the band members seeing or talking to each other.

“A producer goes and gets with each one of us, we add stuff and they mix it up. Then it gets taken a step farther and another producer will go and chop that up. I used to call them remixes, I guess, where you take all these existing tracks and kind of creatively rearrange or re-engineer it,” Shriner said.

Coming off a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album for last year’s The White Album, Weezer continues to be one of the most productive bands out there.

“We’re playing a couple of the singles off (The White Album). It’s exciting to play those and then also be playing a new song, Feels Like Summer, on this run and hopefully we’ll be adding more newer songs throughout the summer. So it should be an exciting year,” Shriner said.

With a jam packed tour schedule, there are two things Shriner cannot hit the road without — instruments and caffeine.

“I need a lot of coffee. I roast a bunch of coffee at home before we leave for a run. Then I bring a bunch of stuff to grind it, cook it, and shape it and do things with it. So caffeine and instruments that’s what I’m running on,” Shriner said.

With 10 albums under their belt, Weezer has a lot of material to pull from when putting together a live show.

“It’s gotten to the point in our career where we can pretty much play nothing but, I’m not going to say all hits, but fairly recognizable songs most people have heard on the radio or Spotify or whatever. That can take up 60 or 70 minutes, just one or two songs from each album,” Shriner said.

With some small adjustments differing from region to region, Weezer looks at what may be popular in certain areas, but the set list at their shows has an essential core.

“We try to shape it a little bit, but really we’re just kind of busy playing whatever our newest product is we’re trying to get out there and playing kind of the hits. That takes up the whole night,” Shriner said. “But that’s cool. I’m not complaining, it’s a good position to be in.

His favourite songs to play are ever-changing, but Shriner said Say It Ain’t So was the song that got him to fall in love with Weezer in the first place.

“That will never get old, for me, to play that song,” Shriner said.

He is looking forward to playing Europe in the fall and visiting some tour spots he has never been to, including Saskatoon, Dawson Creek and Penticton.

“I love going to places I’ve never been whether they’re out in the middle of nowhere. In the middle of an oilfield or in a mountain resort. I feel like the world is so huge I’m really happy to go places I haven’t been,” Shriner said.

Catch Weezer at the South Okanagan Events Centre April 8.

BandFeels Like SummerMusicPentictonScott ShrinerSOECSouth Okanagan Events CentretourWeezer