Matchbox Twenty is back with a new album in September and a world tour to follow, and frontman Rob Thomas met with NY1 in his label's offices to chat about music, social media and more. NY1's Arts reporter Stephanie Simon filed the following report.

Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas says the groups never goes into the studio expecting to repeat the success it had with songs like "Push" and "3 A.M." but he says that is okay because life has already exceeded his teenage rock 'n roll dreams.

"All I wanted to do was play a big party or play prom because, that's what they did in the movies and that was the cool thing," says Thomas.

Now with the multi-platinum-record selling Matchbox Twenty getting ready to release "North," its first album of completely new music in a decade, the singer/songwriter has plenty to say about the songs and life in general. But he may have told you all about it already, on Twitter.

"I spend all my time on there really just responding to fans," says Thomas.

Yes, Thomas does his own tweeting.

"I've had people say really mean things and I'll write back to them and be like, 'Well, why are you like that?' Then all of a sudden they're like, 'Oh dude, I didn't know you were paying attention, I love you,'" says Thomas. "You're a horrible fan, you're just a horrible fan."

Speaking of mean people, there is a Lyric Video online for the group's new single, "She's So Mean."

"When we're done, we want to hear the record and say, 'That's what we are now. That's what we sound like now,'" says Thomas.

As for his solo career, Thomas earned three Grammy awards for co-writing and singing on Santana's 1999 hit "Smooth" and later scored big with "Lonely No More." But he insists his individual success is not a sore point with the band.

"The solo stuff is so different that if I were to bring a song like 'Lonely No More' to the band, I don't know if they would want to do it," says Thomas.

As for other "pet" projects, Thomas and wife Marisol are major supporters of the Pets Alive organization (www.petsalive.org) and Thomas is busy planning the set list for the band's upcoming tour. The tour's American dates will come in January.