Red Hot Chili Peppers Drummer Chad Smith Discusses Potential Fall Start for New Album

Red Hot Chili Peppers may have taken their time between the last two albums, but it will be a short turnaround this time out. Drummer Chad Smith tells Billboard that he envisions the band returning to work on new music by this fall.

"We're probably looking at getting together in September and getting on a roll and starting to write songs for the next record," explained the drummer. "We always have little ideas percolating in jams and rehearsal warm-ups and sound checks and gigs. Sometimes we bust into stuff ... We just kind of play whatever, so we always have those little tidbits. But we don't have any fully formed songs until the four of us get in a room together. That's when the real writing process starts. So, yeah, we're looking at the fall."

This will be the band's second album with guitarist Josh Klinghoffer in the fold, and the group previously spoke about the musician's input and energy that he brought to the 'I'm With You' album.

Though Red Hot Chili Peppers have a few festival dates lined up this summer, including at Metallica's fast-approaching Orion Music + More festival, Smith is using some of the downtime to work on other projects. He's been hosting a series of podcasts called 'Chad Smith in Conversation' and serving as a session drummer for Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles.