Ousted Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer admits he's been far from impressed with the music the band has recorded without him, according to Consequence Of Sound. Guitarist John Frusciante rejoined in late-2019 to perform on the band’s next two albums, Unlimited Love and Return Of The Dream Canteen, both of which were released in 2022. Klinghoffer now performs as part of Eddie Vedder's side band, the Earthlings — as well as a touring member of Pearl Jam.
While appearing on the Brazilian podcast 5 Notas, Klinghoffer admitted he couldn't help comparing the unreleased music he was creating with the band prior to being forced out to the music featured on their new albums with Frusciante: “It’s tough (listening to their new music), only because I honestly think we were doing cooler music. . . I never want to sound negative about anyone doing music — but I was shocked when I heard their new record.”
When asked about the band's latest music recorded with John Frusciante, Klinghoffer admitted: “I don’t think I finished (listening to) the second one. I was trying to cram it in once before leaving on a plane, and I got as far as maybe the ninth song, and I don’t think I listened to the rest.”
Back in the day, upon joining the Chili Peppers, drummer Chad Smith raved about Klinghoffer's playing style: “Josh is not a hit you over the head kind of guy. He comes at you like a fog, y'know? It kind of envelopes you and he's like a sonic architect more than like a riff guy. But he comes up with the coolest, smart, cool — like he can rock hard, no doubt about it. Josh can get his rock on. But Josh is an incredible musician.”
