Red Hot Chili Peppers tease new music with fresh John Frusciante riff

Red Hot Chili Peppers appear to be teasing an imminent single from their highly anticipated album with John Frusciante back in the fold, courtesy of a new online teaser.

The 18-second clip, posted without comment to the band’s social media accounts, showcases a subdued but unmistakably Frusciante rhythm riff, complete with Hendrixian embellishments and a heavy vibrato effect.

While there’s no further info on when we can expect a full song, or indeed the album, to be released, it appears we don’t have long to wait – bass player Flea shared the same video on Instagram with the caption, “We been nurturing the feral animal for quite a while, it’s about time to set her free.”

Frusciante rejoined the LA funk-rock outfit in December 2019, replacing Josh Klinghoffer, making the forthcoming full-length the band’s first album with the Blood Sugar Sex Magik guitarist since 2006’s Stadium Arcadium.

Back in October, drummer Chad Smith commented on the direction of the band’s 12th album, “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.”

Longtime RHCP producer Rick Rubin, meanwhile, cried when he heard Frusciante rejoin Smith, Flea and frontman Anthony Kiedis after a decade away.

“Frusciante's back in the band and it's unbelievable,” he said. “I [was invited to] the first rehearsal after John rejoined the band and it made me cry. It was so thrilling to see that group of people back together because they made such great music for so long together and it really hit me in an emotional way.”

The band are set to embark on a mammoth 2022 world tour to support the release, beginning in June and continuing through September.