Red Hot Chili Peppers Demonstrate an Introspective Evolution on ‘The Getaway’

Matt Matasci

With five years between Red Hot Chili Peppers’ last full-length record “I’m With You” and the just-released “The Getaway,” it is tempting to call their 11th LP a so-called comeback. While it is true that a large chunk of time has passed between releases, labeling with a dramatic descriptor of that sort would not be wholly accurate. The band’s often-tragic revolving door seems to be stabilized with multi-instrumentalist Josh Klinghoffer returning for a second consecutive album. In fact, the biggest drama surrounding the album’s creation was bassist Flea suffering a fairly serious broken arm while snowboarding. What may seem to be a negative setback for the group in fact provided the opportunity for the members to reflect on the songs in greater detail than ever before.

This waiting period to analyze “The Getaway” has resulted in an album that demonstrates the band putting greater focus on creating atmospheric instrumental textures and branching out from their funk-punk core. This more subdued and mature release from the Chili Peppers does not come as a complete surprise. Their most recent work hinted at that direction while members (and ex-members) have worked with forward-leaning artists like Thom Yorke, Danger Mouse and The Mars Volta. Plus, this direction is a certainly more welcome one than the aging rockers treading down the same path of unabashed funk silliness.

“Dark Necessities” is one of the strongest singles the band has released in recent memory, perfectly encapsulating the mature evolution of the band, layering dramatic atmosphere, dreamy vocal harmonies and a powerful pop chorus over a signature funky bass line from Flea. The song opens with a dramatic instrumental build-up that neatly shifts into Flea’s bass line, which burbles and pops through the verses but never tries to take center stage. Sparse arrangements and echoing handclaps round out the song, which should be blaring from car radios all summer.

“Go Robot” may not win any awards for lyrical complexity but it finds Red Hot Chili Peppers veering away from their funk core and shifting ever-so-slightly to its pop-derived cousin, disco. The faux-futuristic textures, bleep-bloop keyboard sequences during the bridge and blistering guitar riffs make it an adventurous and ultimately very memorable moment for the band. Late in the album is “Encore,” a slower, ballad-esque number that further demonstrates the group’s ability to create introspective, pop-oriented compositions like they did with “Snow (Hey Oh)” or even further back in their history with “Breaking the Girl.”

“This Ticonderoga” is the most aggressive song on the album with propulsive guitars and lyrics like “When all these animals want to be just like you.” It may explain the cover art of “The Getaway.” While a solid change of pace for the album, a little more rough edges in the production could have given it the harder experimental sound they seem to be reaching for.

Despite wonderfully captivating moments like “Dark Necessities” or “Encore,” there are some tracks that fail to offer much to compel repeat listens. “The Longest Wave” is built on soulful instrumentation but fails to reach the emotional climax it seems to be aiming for. Meanwhile, while it makes for a pleasant listen and is probably a sure-fire radio single, it’s hard not to notice “Goodbye Angels” was constructed with the exact funk/pop blueprint the band used for “Can’t Stop.” But other than these weak moments, there is little to truly complain about on these 13 songs.

“The Getaway” largely finds Red Hot Chili Peppers making admirable strides toward musical maturity without making a dramatic leap away from their fun-loving nature and funk-inspired influences. And while the Southern Californian band may only be moving the ball forward a bit, unlike their aging modern rock peers in Green Day and Foo Fighters, they have avoided the easy habit of completely retreading their past albums.  

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 11th studio album “The Getaway” is available on Apple Music on June 17.