Chad Smith confirmed to Rolling Stone on Wednesday that a new Red Hot Chili Peppers album is in the works following last month’s news that John Frusciante rejoined the band.
“I was given strict orders for this interview: ‘DON’T TALK ABOUT THE BAND,” the Chili Peppers drummer said before, well, talking about the band. “John is back in the band, and everyone knows that. We’re psyched. The festivals are the only shows booked. For now, we’ll mostly be concentrating on new songs and writing a new record. We’re all real excited to make new music.”
When asked if that quote was a strict confirmation of a new Chili Peppers album, Smith said “Yes. That’s all I can say”.
The forthcoming album is their first since the 2016 release The Getaway, and 12th overall. More importantly, it marks the first Chili Peppers album with contributions from Frusciante since Stadium Arcadium in 2006.
Frusciante had worked on five of the previous 11 albums including Mother’s Milk, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Californication, By the Way, and the aforementioned Stadium Arcadium.
The Chili Peppers have plenty of festival dates set up in 2020. First is the Hangout Music Festival (5/15-17), then BottleRock (5/22-24), and Boston Calling (5/22-24) before a slew of European festivals in June and September.
Head to their website for tickets and tour information.
[H/T Rolling Stone]