While it often feels like bands cave under the pressure to create music their fans want to hear, the members of Jimmy Eat World know they need to put themselves and their satisfaction with new material ahead of their fans’ desires.

“We’re really selfish in that we first try to make ourselves happy with what we’re doing, so we’re really not too concerned with other people’s perceptions,” bassist Rick Burch said. “I mean, it’s there a little bit, but you can’t really predict what people are going to like. We make music that we like, and hopefully other people like it, too, and we take it from there.”

In September, the Mesa, Ariz.-based pop-punk band, who will come to the 9:30 Club on Sunday, released its seventh studio album, Invented, which hit No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Billboard alternative albums chart. Burch noted that the album got a warm reception, but he did say it’s not for everyone and a bit of a departure from the albums that made them popular.

Jimmy Eat World’s 2001 album Bleed American, later retitled Jimmy Eat World, featured the band’s signature song, “The Middle.” Burch said he enjoys the fact that many fans have personal connections with that song and others of that era.

“It’s really flattering,” Burch said. “Being a band for going on 17 years now, we do have that long history of touring and making music and making these connections with people. It’s just kind of flattering that we were a part of someone’s life.”

He added that the band still enjoys playing these songs, which don’t get repetitive or boring.

“They’re our songs, and we’re proud of them,” he said. “When an audience is fired up about hearing your song live, it helps us maintain that fire on stage, and it’s usually a good time.”

Going into the tour, Burch and his bandmates have an idea of what they want to play and how they want to play it, so touring appeals to them and their audiences.

“We want to highlight the songs off the new record we just put out, but we definitely are including songs from all of our previous albums as well,” he said. “It’s going to be a good mix of new stuff and old stuff.”

And even though Invented was released just four months ago, the band is already looking ahead to its next album. The band has been in a three-year cycle for its new releases, something Burch feels will stick, but the method in which the next album will be released is to be determined. The band’s contract with Interscope Records is expiring, meaning Jimmy Eat World will be a free agent in the music world.

“We’re not really sure which way we want to go,” Burch said. “Self-release is definitely one of the options, and we want to investigate and explore all of the other options that are available to us and go from there. I think that being that we have such a loyal fan base and are established pretty well, that a self-release is a viable option for us for sure.”

But for the time being, Burch and the rest of Jimmy Eat World are looking at a slate of shows, including the sold-out one in Washington this weekend.

“We always look forward to the 9:30 Club,” Burch said. “It’s definitely one of our favorite spots in the U.S. to play. Always a good audience, and it’s a good setup over there. Everything runs so smoothly.”

Jimmy Eat World plays 9:30 Club on Sunday. Tickets are sold out. Doors open at 7 p.m.

dgallen@umdbk.com