Red Hot Chili Peppers are "almost done" with their new album, according to Chad Smith.

“We’re getting along great,” the drummer told Rolling Stone. “John [Frusciante]’s been back for a while now, so it feels completely natural. … We’re really listening to each other in a new way.”

The band reunited with Frusciante nearly two years ago, following a 10-year absence, and the new project will be their first together since 2006's Stadium Arcadium.

When asked about working with the guitarist again after such a long break, Smith had nothing but great things to say. “He’s so dedicated,” he gushed. “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.”

Because of the pandemic, RHCP were able to jumpstart the writing and recording process. “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.”

The band has released some of its best records with Frusciante, but Smith doesn't want to dwell on the past. He'd rather look towards the future. “All of our records are just real good snapshots of where we’re at that time. 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," he said. "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 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, 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.”

Earlier this month, RHCP announced a 2022 world tour through a pair of hilarious videos. See the dates here.

Russ "Whip" Rose

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