In a new interview with Luke Poling of Rock 'N' Roll Grad School, PRIMUS drummer John Hoffman confirmed the band is still actively recording their upcoming album.
Hoffman, who joined the group in 2025 after winning a global audition dubbed the 'Interstellar Drum Derby' that attracted over 6,100 applicants, revealed that the band has recorded several tracks, including 'The Ol' Grizz' from the 'A Handful Of Nuggs' EP released in May and a cover of DIO's 'Holy Diver' featuring Puddles Pity Party on vocals.
Hoffman detailed that 'Little Lord Fentanyl'—a song originally part of his audition process—was recorded during the final stage of the drum derby.
He explained: 'I didn't know that they were gonna release the song the way that they did.
At the time, I was just looking at it as just another part of the test.
It was like the final test, really, because at that point, I submitted all of my stuff through the Internet, and that took a couple of months from the time that they announced that they were looking for a drummer until the auditions started.' The drum part on 'Little Lord Fentanyl' is the actual performance from the audition, and Hoffman called it 'almost like an imprint, a photograph of what was going on at that exact moment.' He added that the current recording process has focused on developing riffs and building a strong creative rapport with bassist and bandleader Les Claypool and guitarist Larry LaLonde, emphasizing the need for time and mutual understanding to achieve the band’s signature sound.
The 'A Handful Of Nuggs' EP features 'The Ol' Grizz,' the DIO cover with Puddles Pity Party, and two recent fan favorites: 'Little Lord Fentanyl' featuring Maynard James Keenan of TOOL and 'Duchess (And The Proverbial Mind Spread),' recorded live at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia.
Puddles Pity Party is the singing persona of Michael Geier.
Earlier this year, PRIMUS launched the 'Claypool Gold Tour,' a 30-stop U.S.
tour from May 20 to July 4 that united PRIMUS with THE CLAYPOOL LENNON DELIRIUM and LES CLAYPOOL'S FEARLESS FLYING FROG BRIGADE.
The tour promised a 'mind-melting musical experience' and 'fluid show featuring wildly different setlists and surprises.'"