Red Hot Chili Peppers announce new album Unlimited Love, their first with guitarist John Frusciante in 16 years

The release is also the band's first recording with producer and longtime collaborator Rick Rubin since 2011.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have announced that they will release their new full-length album, Unlimited Love, on April 1 — and no, that's not an April Fool's Joke.

The band's 12th studio record is their first with guitarist John Frusciante since 2006 and their first with producer and longtime collaborator Rick Rubin since 2011.

"Our only goal is to get lost in the music. We (John, Anthony, Chad and Flea) spent thousands of hours, collectively and individually, honing our craft and showing up for one another, to make the best album we could," band members Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith, and John Frusciante said in a statement released with the album's track list. "We yearn to shine a light in the world, to uplift, connect, and bring people together. Each of the songs on our new album UNLIMITED LOVE is a facet of us, reflecting our view of the universe.

The group added, "This record is the ride that is the sum of our lives."

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers. Clara Balzary

Rubin's collaboration with them continues a three-decade partnership that spans four albums, including 1991's Blood Sugar Sex Magik, 1999's Californication, 2002's By the Way, and 2006's Stadium Arcadium.

"When we got together to start writing material, we began by playing old songs by people like Johnny "Guitar" Watson, the Kinks, the New York Dolls, Richard Barrett, and others. Ever so gradually, we started bringing in new ideas, and turning jams into songs, and after a couple of months the new stuff was all we were playing," said Frusciante in the statement. "The feeling of effortless fun we had when we were playing songs by other people stayed with us the whole time we were writing. For me, this record represents our love for, and faith in, each other."

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers. Gus Van Sant

To celebrate the news, the band shared "Black Summer," the first single and music video from Unlimited Love.

Listen to the track here and watch the music video, directed by The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi's Deborah Chow, below.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers will launch a global stadium tour in support of the album starting this summer, performing alongside guests such as Anderson.Paak & The Free Nationals, A$AP Rocky, Beck, Haim, King Princess, St. Vincent, the Strokes, and Thundercat on select dates. View the full tour schedule and purchase tickets on the band's website.

See the full track list for Unlimited Love below.

1. Black Summer
2. Here Ever After
3. Aquatic Mouth Dance
4. Not the One
5. Poster Child
6. The Great Apes
7. It's Only Natural
8. She's a Lover
9. These Are the Ways
10. Whatchu Thinkin'
11. Bastards of Light
12. White Braids & Pillow Chair
13. One Way Traffic
14. Veronica
15. Let 'Em Cry
16. The Heavy Wing
17. Tangelo

Related content:

Related Articles