Red Hot Chili Peppers Near Completion on New Album With John Frusciante
Red Hot Chili Peppers are getting back into gear with a world tour scheduled for next year and a new album — their first with returning guitarist John Frusciante since 2006's Stadium Arcadium — that should emerge around the same time, Rolling Stone reported.
That's the skinny the magazine got from Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith in an interview on Wednesday (Oct. 13). Smith, who's been working with the group on new material since shortly after Frusciante rejoined in 2019, says the album is "almost done."
Not only that, but the band's "getting along great," the drummer relayed.
"John's been back for a while now, so it feels completely natural," Smith said. "We're really listening to each other in a new way."
He added of Frusciante, "He's so dedicated. He's so into it. He's working so hard. We're all working hard, but he's in there with all the overdubs and the magic that he brings."
That's good news for RHCP fans who were left waiting when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, just after Frusciante's return. The band that also includes singer Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea had concert plans that, understandably, had to be changed.
"We were gonna play some festivals that obviously got postponed," Smith explained. "So we could just plow through and write, and that's what we did. It was kind of a blessing because we want to come out with new music and play some new songs. It's gonna be great when we finally go out next year and have a record to play, and a bunch of other stuff, obviously."
But how different will the new Chili Peppers album sound compared to their last two, recorded with guitarist Josh Klinghoffer in Frusciante's place, I'm With You and The Getaway?
"John hasn't been in our group in 10 years," Smith underscored. "That's a long time. So of course it's going to sound different, but it's gonna sound like the four of us because we do have this special chemistry together. It sounds like Red Hot Chili Peppers, but it's different and new."
He continued, "We really like it and we're proud of it and it has to start there. If other people like it, great. If people compare it to this or [say] it doesn't sound like that, we have no control over that. But, yeah, we're all really happy with the record."
In the same interview, Smith, a frequent collaborator with Ozzy Osbourne producer Andrew Watt, spoke about playing on Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder's upcoming solo album Earthling.