Ex-Red Hot Chili Pepper guitarist John Frusciante has had a lot on his plate as of late: releasing his latest solo album Enclosure; teaming up with Omar Rodriguez-Lopez to form Kimono Kult; reissuing his Brown Bunny soundtrack; and even venturing into space. Now, there’s one more project to boast: working with Duran Duran on their latest LP.

In a post on their official website, D&D confirmed rumors that surfaced on the web yesterday. “We were holding this exciting news because we were hoping to give you full details when we announced,” the band wrote, “but as word has leaked out, catching us rather off guard, we wanted to confirm.” According to publications that covered the initial rumors, Frusciante confirmed the collaboration himself in an as-yet-unreleased interview with Japanese Guitar Magazine.



While the band is holed up in an undisclosed location writing and recording, Frusciante has been “doing some work from his home base in California on our new album,” Duran Duran explained. “The tracks have been going back and forth via the internet, and we are thrilled with the results. We are all such big fans of John’s work and are honoured to have him adding his magic to the record!” So, could this mean Frusciante joins the band on tour at some point? “There are no current plans for John to tour with us, but his guitars sound incredible on the tracks.” Aww shucks.

Serving as the band’s 14th overall studio album, and follow-up to 2010’s All You Need Is Now, the band began work on the record in March 2013. In addition to Frusciante, the album is purported to feature vocals from the Voce Chamber Choir and London Youth Chamber Choir. They’re also reuniting with producer Mark Ronson, who encouraged them to “go authentic and use the gear you used on Rio.”

In a recent interview with Classic Pop magazine, bassist John Taylor likened the recording process as “very much like an office job.” In describing the album’s sound, Taylor said, “We didn’t go in trying to capture a particular style, it’s a more organic process. But it does have all the ingredients of a classic Duran album – danceability and great lyrics and hocks, as well as atmospheric parts.”

According to Duran Duran fansite Duranasty, who’ve spoken directly with various members in recent months, the album could be released sometime in September.

Below, revisit All You Need Is Now‘s title track: