John Frusciante Announces New Album and EP

Fans can expect two new releases from guitarist John Frusciante in 2012. As follow-ups to his 2009 album The Empyrean, the EP, titled Letur-Lefr, comes out on July 17, while the album, PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone, hits stores on September. Both are being released through Record Collection Movement. An additional non-album track, called “Walls and Doors,” will come out between both releases.

Material for both releases was recorded over the past two years. Letur-Lefr, which includes five songs, goes as far back as 2010, while PBX was put together over last year. The former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist sings, plays all instruments, and was even involved with engineering. About the two releases, Frusciante said: “Letur is a compilation, a selected portion of music I made that year while PBX was conceived as an album, the songs having been recorded in succession. The records are very different from each other, so prior to the release of the LP, I will make available a free download of a song called ‘Walls and Doors.’ This song pointed the way towards PBX, but was recorded 7 months earlier. I always took it for granted that ‘Walls and Doors’ would be part of the record, but as it turned out the record was better off without it.”

Along with the musical aspects, Frusciante designed the artwork for both the EP and album. PBX will be released in vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital formats.

Surprising for those familiar with Frusciante’s Chili Peppers playing, the guitarist strives for, what he calls, a “progressive synthpop sound” on both releases and incorporates electronic elements into both.