Red Hot Chili Peppers Wrapping Up New Album with John Frusciante

2021-10-14

Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers performing at the Orion Music and More festival in Detroit, Michigan.

Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers – Story by Charles Ken, photo by Anne Erickson

New album update: The Red Hot Chili Peppers plan to have a new album out in time for their 2022 world tour

Red Hot Chili Peppers recently announced a massive world tour set for next year, and they’ve also made it known that they’re working on their first new album with returning guitarist John Frusciante in the fold since 2006’s “Stadium Arcadium.” Now, the band is indicating that the new album and tour should coincide.

Speaking with Rolling Stone, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith says the album is “almost done.” The band has been working on the new tunes ever since Frusciante rejoined the band in 2019.

According to Smith, the Peppers are “getting along great,” which is good news. “John’s been back for a while now, so it feels completely natural,” Smith added. “We’re really listening to each other in a new way.”

Regarding Frusciante, Smith said, “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.”

When Frusciante rejoined the band in 2019, the Peppers had planed to do some shows with the guitarist right away, but those plans got delayed due to the pandemic. The Peppers features Frusciante and Smith, as well as longtime singer Anthony Kiedis and bass player Flea.

“We were gonna play some festivals that obviously got postponed,” Smith added. “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.”

On the new music, Smith said, “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.”

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Charles Ken

Meet the expert - Charles Ken is a graduate of Michigan State University where he studied writing and history. He's a longtime music buff and covers classic rock for Audio Ink Radio. Contact him at ken@audioinkradio.com.