Red Hot Chili Peppers are leaning heavy into the funk on “Poster Child,” the latest single from their upcoming studio album Unlimited Love.
On the surface, the track sounds like a sleazy nod to stereotypical porn music of the ’70s, but the lyrics serve as a unique “We Didn’t Start The Fire” nod to a lot of pop culture figures and other entities. Those figures include Melle Mel, Richard Hell, Adam Ant, Ulysses Grant, Yoko Ono, Led Zeppelin, the Ramones, Judas Priest, Mother Teresa, Bernie Mac, Ronald Reagan, Flavor Flav, Chubby Checker and more.
As previously reported, Unlimited Love comes out on April 1 and is available for pre-order in a variety of formats at RedHotChiliPeppers.com.
The LP features 17 tracks and is notable for two big returns: Guitarist John Frusciante, who rejoined the band in December 2019 after departing from RHCP in 2009, and producer Rick Rubin, who last worked with the Chili Peppers on their 2011 LP I’m With You.
In a joint statement on Unlimited Love, RHCP said, “Our only goal is to get lost in the music. We spent thousands of hours, collectively and individually, honing our craft and showing up for one another, to make the best album we could. Our antennae attuned to the divine cosmos, we were just so damn grateful for the opportunity to be in a room together, and, once again, try to get better. Days, weeks and months spent listening to each other, composing, jamming freely, and arranging the fruit of those jams with great care and purpose. The sounds, rhythms, vibrations, words and melodies had us enrapt.”
They added, “We yearn to shine a light in the world, to uplift, connect, and bring people together. Each of the songs on our new album ‘Unlimited Love,’ is a facet of us, reflecting our view of the universe. This is our life’s mission. We work, focus, and prepare, so that when the biggest wave comes, we are ready to ride it. The ocean has gifted us a mighty wave and this record is the ride that is the sum of our lives. Thank you for listening, we hope you enjoy it. Rock out motherf—ers!”