Return of the Dream Canteen

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Return of the Dream Canteen
File:Return of the Dream Canteen.webp
Studio album by
Red Hot Chili Peppers
ReleasedOctober 14, 2022
Recorded2021
StudioShangri-La (Malibu, California)
Genre
Length75:04
LabelWarner
ProducerRick Rubin
Red Hot Chili Peppers chronology
Unlimited Love
(2022) 		Return of the Dream Canteen
(2022)
Singles from Return of the Dream Canteen
  1. "Tippa My Tongue"
    Released: August 19, 2022
  2. "The Drummer"
    Released: October 14, 2022
Alternative cover
Indie store exclusive limited edition cover[3][4]
Indie store exclusive limited edition cover[3][4]

Return of the Dream Canteen is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on October 14, 2022, through Warner Records as a double LP and single CD.[5] Produced by Rick Rubin, it was recorded during the same sessions as the band's previous studio album, Unlimited Love, released earlier in 2022.

Background and recording

The Red Hot Chili Peppers wrote and recorded Return of the Dream Canteen during the same sessions as their previous studio album, Unlimited Love (2022). The sessions marked the return of guitarist John Frusciante after a ten-year absence, and resulted in almost 50 songs being recorded with producer Rick Rubin and recording engineer Ryan Hewitt. The band initially intended for 40 of the tracks to be released as one album, spread over seven physical discs.[6] The band's label, Warner Bros. Records, resisted this release strategy, with a "compromise" being reached where the band split thirty-four songs across two separate studio albums.[6]

Reflecting on the wealth of material that the band recorded, drummer Chad Smith noted: "We just wrote a bunch of music and wrote and wrote with no time constraints and ended up recording all these songs. We always record more than what comes out on a record, but often they get left in the vault or unfinished or whatever. But we finished them all. We just felt like we had too many good songs to not put out another record. It’s not like a b-sides record or anything like that. Everything felt good and right."[7]

The band sequenced both Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen to become distinct listening experiences from one another: "We thought, 'These [songs] go together here and these go together there and, look, we’ve got two things, both great.'"[7]

Writing and composition

Alongside performing guitar and backing vocals across the album's seventeen tracks, band member John Frusciante recorded multiple keyboard and synthesiser overdubs during the sessions. Regarding his electronic-influenced parts, Frusciante noted: "What I’m doing has its roots in Brian Eno’s work in Roxy Music — where synths and other gadgets are used to alter the sound of a live group, create atmosphere, sonic movement, and generally have unexpected sounds come in every so often."[6] Frusciante embraced several effects and studio techniques to alter and augment his band mates' performances: "A little bit can go a long way towards taking a live band out of the real world and into an alternate reality. Also, a lot of the lead vocal treatments, which I did with delays and reverbs and sometimes synths, are things I do in my electronic music to samples. I do these things to all the instruments. The electronic part of it has as much to do with using the studio in a creative way as it does with synths."[6]

During the writing process, Frusciante and drummer Chad Smith discussed Frusciante's love of electronic breakbeats, a form of drum sampling used in hip hop, jungle, drum and bass and UK garage music.[6] As a result of Frusciante playing Smith "a ton of three-10 second breaks in a row", Smith incorporated these influences into his playing during the Return of the Dream Canteen and Unlimited Love sessions. The drumbeat to the song, "Peace and Love", was inspired by a breakbeat from the Isaac Hayes song, "Breakthrough".[6]

The album's title, Return of the Dream Canteen, represents "a well of creative prosperity" to vocalist Anthony Kiedis, who noted that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the band having a significant amount of time to write and record together: "It was also just a stretch of weird time where everyone stayed home for two years, and time got a little bit elastic. Instead of having to rush, we just said, 'OK let's keep writing music,' and this was the result - and that was the phrase that came to mind."[8]

Artwork

The album's artwork was created by French artists, Thami Nabil and Julien Calemard, who had previously created a music video for the track "Poster Child" from Unlimited Love. The pair were discovered by the band's visual creative director and Frusciante's wife, Marcia Pinna, while looking for artists to create imagery for her own music, under the name Aura T-09: "I loved their drawings. They just have a really interesting take on illustration and animation. They have an eye. They have subject matter that’s really interesting; it’s always a bit weird and trippy."[9]

Upon Return of the Dream Canteen's release, Nabil and Calemard created animated music videos for each track on the album.[10]

Promotion

The band announced the album during their Global Stadium Tour on July 23, 2022 at their show in Denver with pre-sales of the album being made available which included various versions of the album on limited edition vinyl.[11]

The album's first single, "Tippa My Tongue", was released alongside a music video on August 19, 2022. A second song from the album, "Eddie", which was inspired by musician Eddie Van Halen, was released as a promotional single on September 23, 2022.[12][13] "Eddie" was performed for the first time on October 9, 2022 at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. It was the first song from the album to be performed live. "The Drummer" was released as the album's second commercial single alongside its music video on October 14, 2022.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic69/100[14]
Review scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork6.3/10[15]

Return of the Dream Canteen received generally positive reviews from critics. It currently has a score of 69 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14] Rolling Stone gave particular praise to Frusciante's performance on the album, listing his parts on "Eddie" and "Handful" as highlights.[16] Consequence praised much of the material, but also noted that "moments that could have otherwise made a significant impact feel diluted", due to the band's rapid release schedule in 2022.[17]

Spill Magazine's Gerrod Harris praises the release and states, "Overall, Return Of The Dream Canteen feels like a less mainstream Unlimited Love. Written and recorded during the same sessions, this is only natural; however, there is an element of creativity and reckless abandon to Return Of The Dream Canteen that sees the pop influence of the sessions – while still present – take a back seat. These aren’t B-sides, nor are they leftovers, instead, Return Of The Dream Canteen is a weirder and far more experimental record."[18]

Commercial performance

The album made its debut at number-one in six countires. It reached number three in the band's home country of the United States on the Billboard 200 chart and reached number-one on the Top Albums Chart giving the band their second number-one album in 2022 and making them the first rock band with two number-one albums in the same year in 17 years since System of a Down in 2005 accomplished this.[19]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Anthony Kiedis, Flea, John Frusciante, and Chad Smith.

Return of the Dream Canteen track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Tippa My Tongue"4:20
2."Peace and Love"4:03
3."Reach Out"4:11
4."Eddie"5:41
5."Fake as Fuck"4:22
6."Bella"4:51
7."Roulette"4:57
8."My Cigarette"4:24
9."Afterlife"4:13
10."Shoot Me a Smile"3:43
11."Handful"4:01
12."The Drummer"3:24
13."Bag of Grins"5:05
14."La La La La La La La La"3:57
15."Copperbelly"3:44
16."Carry Me Home"4:13
17."In the Snow"5:55
Total length:75:04

Bonus tracks

  • "The Shape I'm Takin'" (3:35) – Japanese CD bonus track[20]
  • "Whatchu Thinkin'" (live in Paris) – Tour edition bonus track[21]

Personnel

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Additional musicians

  • Aura T-09 – background vocals (track 2)
  • Lenny Castro – percussion (2)
  • Mauro Refosco – percussion (14)
  • Josh Johnson – saxophone (2, 5, 6, 8, 11)
  • Vikram Devasthali – trombone (5, 6, 11)
  • Nathaniel Walcott – trumpet (5, 6, 11)

Technical

  • Rick Rubin – production
  • Vlado Meller – mastering
  • Ryan Hewitt – mixing, engineering
  • Bernie Grundman – engineering
  • Bo Bodnar – engineering
  • Dylan Neustadter – engineering
  • Ethan Mates – engineering
  • Jason Lader – engineering
  • Phillip Broussard Jr. – engineering
  • Jeremy Lubsey – mastering assistance
  • Chaz Sexton – engineering assistance
  • Jonathan Pfarr – engineering assistance
  • Sami Bañuelos – band assistance
  • Charlie Bolois – studio technician
  • Lawrence Malchose – studio technician
  • Chris Warren – technician
  • Henry Trejo – technician
  • Eric Lynn – production coordination
  • Gage Freeman – production coordination

Artwork

  • Sarah Zoraya – creative design, design
  • Julien Calemard – illustrations
  • Thami Nabil – illustrations
  • Clara Balzary – photography

Charts

Chart performance for Return of the Dream Canteen
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[22] 2
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[23] 1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[25] 2
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[26] 3
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[27] 17
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[28] 27
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[29] 1
French Albums (SNEP)[30] 1
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[31] 1
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[32] 2
Irish Albums (OCC)[33] 4
Italian Albums (FIMI)[34] 5
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[35] 9
Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon)[36] 9
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[37] 7
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[38] 62
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[39] 1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[40] 22
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[41] 4
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[42] 1
Scottish Albums (OCC)[43] 3
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[44] 7
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[45] 25
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[46] 1
UK Albums (OCC)[47] 2
US Billboard 200[48] 3
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[49] 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[50] 1

References

  1. ^ Shutler, Ali (October 14, 2022). "Red Hot Chili Peppers 'Return of the Dream Canteen' Review – An Overwhelming Feast". NME. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  2. ^ "Red Hot Chili Peppers – Return of the Dream Canteen Review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  3. ^ "Return of the Dream Canteen [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Alternate Cover CD + Bonus Track". darksiderecords.com. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  4. ^ "Return of the Dream Canteen [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Alternate Cover Gold 2LP]". darksiderecords.com. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "Red Hot Chili Peppers Announce Second Album of 2022, 'Return of the Dream Canteen'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Moore, Ralph (October 18, 2022). "JOHN FRUSCIANTE: "JUNGLE IS MY FAVOURITE KIND OF MUSIC EVER". MixMag. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Graff, Gary (August 19, 2022). "Red Hot Chili Peppers Lick New Release 'Tippa My Tongue': 'It's Got P-Funk In It'". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  8. ^ Cingrana, Joe (October 14, 2022). "Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Kiedis on 'Dream Canteen' and learning to love the stadium tour". MSN. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  9. ^ Harper, Simon (October 13, 2022). "Inside the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Trippy New Album Artwork". Creative Review. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  10. ^ Harper, Simon (October 13, 2022). "Inside the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Trippy New Album Artwork". Creative Review. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  11. ^ Kreps, Daniel (July 24, 2022). "Red Hot Chili Peppers Announce Second Album of 2022, 'Return of the Dream Canteen'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  12. ^ "Red Hot Chili Peppers Tease Eddie Van Halen-Inspired Song 'Eddie'". ultimateclassicerock.com. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  13. ^ Jonathan Horsley (September 23, 2022). "Red Hot Chili Peppers pay tribute to Eddie Van Halen on new single, Eddie". MusicRadar.
  14. ^ a b "Return of the Dream Canteen". Metacritic. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  15. ^ Garner, Marty Sartini (October 19, 2022). "Red Hot Chili Peppers: Return of the Dream Canteen Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  16. ^ Gross, Joe (October 13, 2022). "Red Hot Chili Peppers Serve Up 75 Minutes of Pretty Good Leftovers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  17. ^ Krueger, Jonah (October 14, 2022). "Red Hot Chili Peppers Prove The Love Is Truly Unlimited on Return of the Dream Canteen". Consequence. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  18. ^ Harris, Gerrod (October 14, 2022). "SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - RETURN OF THE DREAM CANTEEN". The Spill Magazine.
  19. ^ Fu, Eddie (October 24, 2022). "Red Hot Chili Peppers Are First Rock Band in 17 Years to Top Album Sales Chart Twice in One Year". Consequence. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  20. ^ "Return of the Dream Canteen / リターン・オブ・ザ・ドリーム・カンティーン". wmg.jp.com. August 19, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  21. ^ "Return of the Dream Canteen". rhcplivearchive.com. August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  22. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Return of the Dream Canteen". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  23. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Return of the Dream Canteen" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Return of the Dream Canteen" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  25. ^ "Ultratop.be – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Return of the Dream Canteen" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  26. ^ "Red Hot Chili Peppers Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  27. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 202242 on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  28. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Return of the Dream Canteen". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  29. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Return of the Dream Canteen" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  30. ^ "Lescharts.com – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Return of the Dream Canteen". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  31. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Return of the Dream Canteen" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  32. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2022. 42. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  33. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  34. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Return of the Dream Canteen". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  35. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2022-10-24" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  36. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Combined Albums: 2022-10-24" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  37. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of October 19, 2022". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  38. ^ "2022 42-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. October 21, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  39. ^ "Charts.nz – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Return of the Dream Canteen". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  40. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Return of the Dream Canteen". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  41. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  42. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Return of the Dream Canteen". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  43. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  44. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Return of the Dream Canteen". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  45. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Return of the Dream Canteen". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  46. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Return of the Dream Canteen". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  47. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  48. ^ "Red Hot Chili Peppers Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  49. ^ "Red Hot Chili Peppers Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  50. ^ "Red Hot Chili Peppers Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
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