Return of the Dream Canteen by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Of all the major rock bands to come out of the ’90s, none have sounded as content to be themselves as the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Written and recorded during the same sessions as April 2022’s *Unlimited Love*, *Return of the Dream Canteen* features the same crystalline anthems (“Eddie,” “Roulette,” “The Drummer”) and liberatingly fun funk (“Fake as Fu@k,” “Tippa My Tongue”) they’ve been perfecting for 40 years. But what makes it remarkable is their ability to find variety even within the narrow band of their sound, whether it’s the waltz of “Copperbelly” or the moody, psychedelic “Bag of Grins,” both of which are stranger and more minimal than any other multiplatinum rock artist outside Led Zeppelin. Fans will note the return of guitarist John Frusciante and producer Rick Rubin (also present on *Unlimited Love*), but with all due respect, it’s beside the point: They serve an institution bigger than any man. In the band’s sparseness, they glimpse the ocean their California hearts can’t deny, and in Anthony Kiedis’ my-name-is-Tony-and-I’m-here-to-say raps an innocence that conjures summer, friendship, and, yes, love. May they never grow up.

6.3 / 10

The funk-rock band’s second album of the year is a surprisingly introspective set filled with references to forgotten actors, classic bands, and, most tellingly, decades-old Chili Peppers songs.

6 / 10

On their second album release of 2022 the Californians break new ground, but bury these new discoveries with tired old tricks

It’s a case of quantity over quality as the veteran funksters deliver their second album in six months

The reunion party continues for the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Return of the Dream Canteen, the band's second full-length of 2022.

7 / 10

Red Hot Chili Peppers have taken pains to insist that Return of the Dream Canteen isn't simply the outtakes from this spring's Unlimited Lov...

8 / 10

Three and-a-bit months after the Red Hot Chili Peppers released comeback record ‘Unlimited Love’, the funk rockers announced more music was on the way. As

3.4 / 5

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Return of the Dream Canteen review: The overly productive chili peppers.

The millennial rockers take a trip to the 80s; Red Hot Chili Peppers are fast food for the ears; Tove Lo celebrates the messy modern woman

Stadium rock old-timers summon up a feast of West Coast guitar pop. Review by Thomas H Green.