Smith has revealed that the band has been working to follow-up 2006's mammoth double album Stadium Arcadium, stating, "We're gonna write for a while, it usually takes us a while.”

Smith’s colleague, bassist Flea, has been playing live with Thom Yorke’s band, and the drummer admitted that Flea had given him a record of electronic beats to use as inspiration, but denied there would be an overt electronic feel to RHCP’s new material. But he also warned, "You never know. We've got songs with piano on them right now, so who knows."