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Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith has revealed the band is currently at work on its 12th studio set. Blabbermouth transcribed sole of Smith chat on New York City’s Q104.3, where he said, “There’s a gag order on me. I do so many Zooms (video interviews), and they’re, like, ‘Why’d you say that?’ There’s something coming. I can say this: we’re making a record, we’re making new music, and it’s very exciting. I don’t know when it’s coming out, but we can’t wait for people to hear it, and we can’t wait to perform for people. Just like everybody else that really misses that experience.”

The still-untitled unannounced new album will be the first since the Chili Pepper’s 2016 top two collection, The Getaway, and the first since guitarist John Frusciante’s return to the band in 2019, replacing the man who took over for him, Josh Klinghoffer.

Variety reported sources citing the Chili Peppers “selling their song catalog to Hipgnosis Songs for upwards of $140 million.” There has been no official announcement about the deal from the band.

Chad Smith is set to be the guest artist and host of the Ad Art Show 2021, now running virtually via mvvoart.com during Frieze Week. According to the report, “Artworks by Smith will be exhibited on the monumental screens of the Oculus at Westfield World Trade Center the final weekend of the show on May 29th and 30th.”

Smith had just moved to Los Angeles in August 1988 and by December he had joined the band. He recalled how it felt at the time to become a member of the Peppers: “It was very exciting. I was so excited to be in the band and it was a new thing and new guys and making a record and Hollywood . . . y’know, it was very exciting and fun and crazy and it was, really felt like the beginning of something exciting and fond memories. Really fond memories of making new friends, y’know, musically and personally and we just had a fun time. It was fun, it went fast. It just went by really fast.”