Watch the video for wistful new Red Hot Chili Peppers single Black Summer

Red Hot Chili Peppers
(Image credit: Warner Bros)

Red Hot Chili Peppers have released a video for Black Summer, the first song to be taken from their upcoming album Unlimited Love, which is set to arrive on April 1.   

Unlimited Love is the first RHCP album since guitarist John Frusciante returned to the band in late 2019. Production is handled by Rick Rubin, completing a return to the cast behind the hugely successful Blood Sugar Sex Majik, By The Way, Californication and Stadium Arcadium albums. 

Black Summer is the melancholy RHCP of Otherside and much of By The Way, riding in on alluringly languid guitar from Frusciante before bursting into life as the chorus arrives. It's not going to surprise anyone, but it is the kind of song the Chili Peppers produce when they're making the albums people end up loving the most. 

“Our only goal is to get lost in the music,” say the band. “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. 

"Our antennae attuned to the divine cosmos, we were just so damn grateful for the opportunity to be in a room together, and, once again, try to get better. Days, weeks and months spent listening to each other, composing, jamming freely, and arranging the fruit of those jams with great care and purpose. The sounds, rhythms, vibrations, words and melodies had us enrapt.

"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. 

"This is our life’s mission. We work, focus, and prepare, so that when the biggest wave comes, we are ready to ride it. The ocean has gifted us a mighty wave and this record is the ride that is the sum of our lives. Thank you for listening, we hope you enjoy it."

“When we started writing material, we began by playing old songs by people like Johnny “Guitar” Watson, The Kinks, The New York Dolls, Richard Barrett and others," adds Frusciante. “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. 

“The feeling of effortless fun we had when we were playing songs by other people stayed with us the whole time we were writing, and for me, this record represents our love for, and faith in each other."

Red Hot Chili Pepers will kick off a world tour on June 4 at Estadio La Cartuja in Seville, Spain, and are set to spend most of June in Europe (including dates in Dublin, Glasgow, London and Manchester) before embarking on their first-ever US stadium tour in July, August and September. Full dates below.

Unlimited Love tracklist

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

Red Hot Chili Peppers World Tour 2022

Jun 04: Seville Estadio La Cartuja De Sevilla , Spain   
Jun 07: Barcelona Estadi Olimpic, Spain
Jun 10: Nijmegen Goffertpark, Netherlands  
Jun 12: Bratislava Lovestream Festival, Slovakia  
Jun 15: Budapest Puskas Stadium , Hungary   
Jun 18: Firenze Firenze Rocks, Italy
Jun 22: Manchester Emirates Old Trafford, UK
Jun 25: London Stadium, UK
Jun 26: London Stadium, UK
Jun 29: Dublin Marlay Park, Ireland
Jul 01: Glasgow Bellahouston Park, UK
Jul 03: Leuven Rock Werchter, Belgium
Jul 05: Cologne RheinEnergieStadium, Germany
Jul 08: Paris Stade de France, France
Jul 09: Paris Stade de France, France
Jul 12: Hamburg Volksparkstadion, Germany
Jul 23: Denver Empower Field at Mile High, CO
Jul 27: San Diego Petco Park, CA
Jul 29: Santa Clara Levi's Stadium, CA
Jul 31: Los Angeles SoFi Stadium, CA
Aug 03: Seattle T-Mobile Park, WA
Aug 06: Las Vegas Allegiant Stadium, NV
Aug 10: Atlanta Truist Park, GA
Aug 12: Nashville Nissan Stadium, TN
Aug 14: Detroit Comerica Park, MI
Aug 17: E. Rutherford Metlife Stadium, NJ
Aug 19: Chicago Soldier Field, IL
Aug 21: Toronto Rogers Centre, ON
Aug 30: Miami Hard Rock Stadium, FL
Sep 01: Charlotte Bank of America Stadium, NC
Sep 03: Philadelphia Citizens Bank Park, PA
Sep 08: Washington Nationals Park, DC
Sep 10: Boston Fenway Park, MA
Sep 15: Orlando Camping World Stadium, FL  
Sep 18: Arlington Globe Life Field, TX

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Fraser Lewry

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 38 years in music industry, online for 25. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.