Primus have announced ‘A Handful of Nuggs,’ a 4-track EP streaming now digitally, with a special-edition 12-inch vinyl arriving July 22 via ATO Records. Leading the release is “The Ol’ Grizz,” one of the first new studio recordings to feature drummer John Hoffman, and it announces his presence emphatically. Les Claypool, Larry LaLonde, and Hoffman lock into the kind of twisted rhythmic chemistry that has always defined this band, high-speed bass runs, warped psychedelic textures, and explosive percussion firing on all cylinders.
The EP doesn’t stop there. ‘A Handful of Nuggs’ also includes Primus’ cover of Dio’s “Holy Diver,” sung by Puddles Pity Party, the fan-favorite “Little Lord Fentanyl” featuring Maynard James Keenan, and a live recording of “Duchess (And The Proverbial Mind Spread)” captured at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia.
This lands in the middle of a particularly busy stretch for Claypool. Today also marks the CD release of The Claypool Lennon Delirium’s ‘The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy,’ a sprawling 14-song concept album with Sean Ono Lennon exploring A.I., empathy, mortality, free will, and the dangers of optimization without human feeling. The CD edition arrives in an enlarged gatefold seven-inch jacket, complete with a 24-page companion comic created with longtime collaborator Rich Ragsdale.
A new animated video piece for the Delirium project also just dropped, featuring actor, comedian, and musician Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows, Toast of London), with animation by Ragsdale. It’s another sharp, surreal entry into the project’s visual world.
On May 22, Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade releases ‘Return Of The Live Frogs: Volume 1,’ a live collection capturing the band’s expansive, improvisational spirit across more than 2 decades of adventurous performances.
Next week, all 3 projects converge for the Claypool Gold Tour, a full-evening summer run bringing Primus, The Claypool Lennon Delirium, and Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade together under one roof. The coast-to-coast run kicks off May 20 in Reno, NV and runs through July 4 in Napa, CA. Seeing Claypool move through 3 distinct corners of his musical universe in a single night is a rare thing.
‘A Handful of Nuggs’ Tracklist:
- The Ol’ Grizz
- Holy Diver (feat. Puddles Pity Party)
- Little Lord Fentanyl (feat. Puscifer)
- Duchess (And The Proverbial Mind Spread) (Live from the Mann Music Center, Philadelphia, PA)