The Red Hot Chili Peppers have returned with new music for the first time in five years! Their new project "The Getaway,” was released on June 17. Their previous studio effort, "I'm With You" was a severe letdown and saw a band scrambling to reconstruct their identity. It felt soulless and lacked the energy and funk which many of their earlier efforts possessed. I was skeptical when I heard they would be releasing a new album, but had to give it a try. To my surprise, "The Getaway" was a success and improved on a plethora of "I'm With You's" missteps. The band has filled the missing funk void and have demonstrated greater passion this time around. They are focused and have regained some of their creative vigor, Josh Klinghoffer has contributed with some awesome guitar work and their lyricism is as strong as it’s ever been.
The song that really gripped my attention prior to the album’s release was "Dark Necessities.” The intro buildup and Flea's heavy bass riff hearkened back to the song "Can’t Stop,” which immediately hooked me. The way the guitar, percussion and piano bridge into the bass and Anthony's voice was organically majestic. Anthony provides silky smooth vocals alongside lyrics reflecting the dark and dirty thoughts of an individual and ones acceptance of these faults. The heavenly piano introduced midway through the song aids in balancing out the cast of instruments. This allows a seamless transition into Josh's mesmerizing guitar solo which propagates a sense of redemption within a song that reflects upon the mistakes of an individual. If it weren't for this song, I may have never have listened to the album in the first place.
"This Ticonderoga" was a complete surprise to me in a stylistic manner. A gritty and raw track which features Josh at his best. The clash between bass and lead guitar translates into one of the grimiest sequences in the bands storied history. Anthony's vocals are rigged and forceful and he lets off a ferocious growl at the conclusion of the song. The track feels unpolished and messy but still gets its point across. The band could have easily made a glossy, overproduced track but they chose not to. This felt like garage rock song which we haven't really heard from the band since the 80s.
The album has many triumphs but has it fair share of blunders along the away. Despite being more creative and ambitious the album doesn't do anything groundbreaking. It's still the same band we've always known with a few new stylistic additions. They experimented with some new themes like suicide, death and betrayal but intertwine the record with sex, love and breakups. The concept of the album chronicles a person that wants to escape society aka "The Getaway". If they consistently explored these new themes the album would be more intriguing. In terms of tracks there was not one song that I disliked. However, I could only see myself replaying a few tracks on a daily basis (Dark Necessities, Goodbye Angels, This Ticonderoga). A lot of the albums bleeds into itself and sounds too similar.
Overall, I would recommend the album to fans of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Alternative rock lovers. The lyricism, passion and artistic direction deserve a significant amount of applause. They may not be as dynamic or gutsy as they once were but they are still reliable. The Peppers have plenty left in the tank and after thirty three of being in the business they are still able to reinvent themselves.
