According to drummer Chad Smith, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS are “almost done” recording their first new album – their first with guitarist John Frusciante since 2006’s “Stadium Arcadium”.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Smith said that the four members of RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS are “getting along great”, and are “really listening to each other in a new way”.
“All of our records are just real good snapshots of where we’re at that time,” he says. “You can’t really go, ‘Oh, gee, I hope it’s as good as…’ Then you’re starting to have preconceived notions about what you want to write.
“Look, John hasn’t been in our group in 10 years. That’s a long time. So of course it’s going to sound different, but it’s going to 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, and to me that’s great.
“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.”
Speaking about Frusciante’s return, Smith said: “He is 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.”
Chad goes on to say that the majority of the new album was written during the pandemic, with studio sessions taking place earlier this year.
“We could just plow through and write, and that’s what we did,” he adds. “It was kind of a blessing, because we want to come out with new music and play some new songs. It’s going to be great when we finally go out next year and have a record to play, and a bunch of other stuff, obviously.”