The reunion party continues for the
Red Hot Chili Peppers on
Return of the Dream Canteen, the band's second full-length of 2022. Following that April's chart-topping
Unlimited Love -- a sprawling set of funk-infused tunes celebrating
John Frusciante's return to the fold -- this equally lengthy collection of feel-good tunes was recorded in the same fruitful
Rick Rubin sessions that yielded its predecessor. Fans of that album's exploratory nature will delight in this flood of similarly trippy and free-form jams. Once again, there aren't many radio-friendly moments on this 75-minute journey. The closest they come is the lead single, "Tippa My Tongue," a deviously catchy earworm that rides a playful "na na" chant and a squiggly bassline. Elsewhere, they tap into the spirit of
Hendrix on the towering "Reach Out," while "Fake as Fu@k" and "Bella" continue that hero worship, adding some
Parliament into the mix for good measure. Speaking of guitar heroes, "Eddie" is an epic tribute to the late
Van Halen axeman, which lets
Frusciante loose on a show-stopping extended solo, one of many on the LP. Much like
Unlimited Love, the vibe on
Dream Canteen is fairly consistent, with just a few surprises tossed in to prevent the entire album from becoming one undistinguishable entity. Unexpected, programmed beats percolate on the atmospheric digital wash of "My Cigarette" and the jagged throwback "Bag of Grins," while "La La La La La La La La" offers a rare midtempo ballad. Meanwhile, the sparse, drawn-out closer "In the Snow" detours with a spoken word, stream of consciousness flow from
Anthony Kiedis. Like its sibling
Unlimited Love,
Return of the Dream Canteen benefits from the positive energy of these four friends just having fun in the studio, and is designed for listeners to plug in and bliss out without any expectations of mainstream-ready fare. ~ Neil Z. Yeung