Despite its polished production, Unlimited Love sees the Red Hot Chili Peppers throw caution to the wind as they take risks and revel in a genuine sense of weirdness; ultimately, Unlimited Love can stand strong as a latter career highlight as the most exciting release from the Red Hot Chili Peppers in nearly twenty years.

Full Review

Best of 2022

Recent Reviews

Artist Ratings

Clash

Littered with lyrical easter eggs and distinctive Chili Peppers funky flare, this record is a regal return.

Reunited with guitar wizard John Frusciante, the band channel the best moments from their heyday to prove there's plenty more gas in the tank.

Returning to their strongest line-up, with Rick Rubin in tow, these veterans are ready to rock again.

The sound is lean and clean, sharply separated with individual instrumentation shining through and not a lot of over-dubbing or effects.

More than anything, this record feels like a coming home. There’s a certain magic that happens with these four musicians, and Frusciante’s absence always leaves a piece of the puzzle missing. Thankfully, he always finds his way back.

Reinvigorated by the return of John Frusciante, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 12th album is a likable display of each member’s technical ability, and a return of the funk alt-rock chemistry that we came to love from the band in the early 2000s.

Casual fans may be disappointed by the lack of hooks until they’ve heard it another twenty times, while hardcore fans will slowly discover there’s a musical depth the Peppers have long been striving for.

While this old dog isn’t learning any new tricks, the band’s unmistakable chemistry shines, and each note is a glimpse into a youthful energy that hasn’t been seen in quite some time.

A sprawling, exciting album full of playful chemistry between four musicians who, yet again, bring out the best in one another.

The Chilis are back together, having fun. And it feels good.

Despite the overall trippy and feel-good nature of the set, there's enough for fans of any past era to find an entry point and enjoy the ride.

After more than a decade away, guitarist John Frusciante returns for the band’s first album in six years, a restrained and familiar effort to recapture an old spark in a new era.

7mo

Not every tune on this long album sticks. Still, it offers breezy, mature acceptance and enthusiasm for life.

The problem with Unlimited Love is that it sounds more like a jam rehearsal session rather than a complete album.

At heart Unlimited Love is an intoxicating, moving and occasionally backbone-freeing return from a justly legendary band. It’s a good record; just not a great one.

An impressive consolidation of their strengths.

It’s far from a miserable affair, it certainly passes the time, it’s just hard to imagine how so much talent in a room didn’t arrive with something that didn’t feel so staid.

Whatever your view on the Chili Peppers, this record will only confirm it.

You can do a whole lot worse than Unlimited Love, its main sin homogeneity rather than insufferableness.

The Californian quartet’s latest follows a long line of forgettable albums, even if they do enshrine Southend in a lyric.

A bit of a slog.

If this album has one thing going (on and on) for it, it’s that it’s safely on-brand. It’s just smoother, and slower, and sloppier than before.

Every funk-rock cliche is thrown into an over-seasoned gloopy sonic soup. Mercifully, it is relatively rare to hear a band this formulaic and bland.

Full Review

Popular User Reviews

View All

Musicnerdd

Is it really good or i just have a soft spot for quirky funky dad rock?

By being the band that released classic game-changing albums like blood sugar sex magik, puting out massive hits like californication and under the bridge, having their own unique and incomparable style, the los angeles originated band "red hot chilli peppers" have already secured their place as one of the most popular and admired acts in the rigorous and harsh world of rock music.
But considering that the guys ... read more

BaddieBaphomet (She/Her)

NO NUANCE REVIEW

Damn, I remember my first joint.

I mean, it’s a Red Hot Chili Peppers album. They’ve been putting out the same album for at least twenty five years, regardless of who is playing guitar. If you like RHCP, you’ll probably like this album. They still sound like RHCP - have fun, go nuts.
Me personally, I don’t care if Frusciante is back on guitar, or if they brought back Rick Rubin for producing duties, or if they managed to bring Hillel Slovak back from ... read more

Brad Taste

I don’t need to listen to an hour of this to know that this is boomers living out the glory days, and I will find no value in it

More popular reviews

Recent User Reviews

View All

Babadabadie

Average track rating: 57
Album as a whole:-4
Total: 53
This is a very weird album. And I don’t know how to feel about it. It’s very experimental, but it’s also very repetitive, uninteresting and boring. I feel like they have had their prime. You notice that they try to be the Peppers they always were on songs like One Way Traffic and Poster Child, but they fail horribly, simply because it sounds corny and goofy. The most of the songs are okay, and just filler, and I think this ... read more

mirkocc1

yo se que los critics son super expertos y toda la bola, pero como le vas a poner un 100, sos un deficiente mental. solido 30, super largo para que solo me guste here ever after y she is a lover

Oreo_Trash

Let 'Em Cry and Whatchu Thinkin' both slap.
Pretty good from beginning to end.

More recent reviews

Purchasing Unlimited Love from Amazon helps support Album of the Year. Or consider a donation?

Track List

1	Black Summer 3:52	81
2	Here Ever After 3:50	71
3	Aquatic Mouth Dance 4:20	76
4	Not the One 4:26	67
5	Poster Child 5:18	68
6	The Great Apes 5:01	68
7	It's Only Natural 5:33	74
8	She's a Lover 3:41	70
9	These Are the Ways 3:56	71
10	Whatchu Thinkin' 3:40	70
11	Bastards of Light 3:38	68
12	White Braids & Pillow Chair 3:40	74
13	One Way Traffic 4:10	67
14	Veronica 4:28	67
15	Let 'Em Cry 4:23	71
16	The Heavy Wing 5:31	75
17	Tangelo 3:37	69