Rejoice In Relapse
The return of Jane’s Addiction has been greeted with open arms. “Strays,” the band’s first new studio album in 13 years, is due this week via Capitol and has enjoyed a huge pre-release buzz thanks to the single “Just Because.” Jane’s is also headlining the revived Lollapalooza for the first time since the event’s inaugural 1991 run.
The first incarnation of Jane’s Addiction — frontman Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins — splintered in 1991, just as alternative rock was exploding into the mainstream. Its members pursued various side projects before reuniting for the 1997 Relapse tour minus Avery, who was replaced first by Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea and then by Porno For Pyros’ Martyn LeNoble.
Remarkably, the music on “Strays” in no way betrays the decade-plus layoff since Jane’s Addiction’s 1990 swan song, “Ritual de lo Habitual.” The new set is awash with the group’s signature heavy, psychedelic sound, with highlights including the groove-rooted “Wrong Girl” and “The Riches” and the intense rock of “Price I Pay,” “Just Because” and “To Match the Sun.”
“I think it is possible that 13 years ago, we wouldn’t have approached the level of musicianship that we did here,” Navarro admits. “Something comes from just playing our instruments for this long. We have limitations on what we want to present, but when it comes to trying stuff, we’re completely open guys.”
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