Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea is gearing up for his debut solo jazz album, Honora, on March 27, 2026. But in the meantime, it seems like the Chili Peppers have been jamming together. Is this the start of a new album?
Speaking with MOJO in print, per a report from Guitar.com, Flea revealed that the band has begun writing new songs. “We’ve been writing music together, recording at [guitarist] John Frusciante’s house, and the music feels great,” he said. “Ultimately, once we start playing, it’s about … just catching a magic groove and doing it good.”
The “magic groove” is essential to Flea’s creative process as well, which comes through on his innovative solo album. But as a group, the magic can sometimes be harder to capture. By the nature of having four people working on the same thing, creative differences are a given.
Flea Compares Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Creative Flow To ‘Being in a Marriage’
“It’s like being in a marriage with four people that’s always moving and changing, all these challenges and all the things that you have to deal with,” Flea continued. The Red Hot Chili Peppers seem to eventually find that magic groove, but it’s not without its challenges.
“Egos are inescapable, and my ego is as big and as fragile as anybody’s,” he added. “But it’s always, no matter what, this intrinsic part of who I am, and it’s alive, and it’s beautiful, and you never know what shape it’s going to take next. I really feel like that right now.”
Seemingly, working on a solo album completely different from his work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the past four decades has got the creative wheels turning for Flea. On Honora, he dabbled with his love of free jazz and trumpet, bringing forth a different and unseen side of himself. Alongside a group of some of the best contemporary jazz musicians, Flea composed an interesting and new piece of his own puzzle.
As for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, they haven’t put out a new album since Return of the Dream Canteen from 2022. Five months before that, they released Unlimited Love, both recorded during the same sessions. It was the shortest time between two Chili Peppers albums, so it makes sense that the band has taken a break since then. But with this hint from Flea, fans might want to start getting excited for something new.
Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for FIREAID
The post Flea Teases New Red Hot Chili Peppers Music in the Works: ‘It’s About Catching a Magic Groove’ appeared first on VICE.
