Primus featuring Maynard James Keenan & Puscifer – Little Lord Fentanyl
Alternative rock veterans Primus have unleashed their first new studio track in three years, the delightfully twisted “Little Lord Fentanyl.” The standalone single features guest vocals from Maynard James Keenan (Tool/A Perfect Circle/Puscifer), whose distinctive voice adds another layer of sinister playfulness to the band’s already surreal sonic landscape.
The track marks a significant milestone for Primus as it serves as the studio debut of new drummer John Hoffman. His journey to the drum throne is itself the stuff of legend—beating out more than 6,100 applicants in a global audition process aptly named the “Interstellar Drum Derby.” A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Hoffman brings what critics have described as a unique combination of “high-velocity flurries,” “swamp-pocket” rhythms, and “cartoonish cymbal clutches” to the band’s intricate sound.
Les Claypool, Primus’s enigmatic frontman and bass virtuoso, couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the addition, describing Hoffman as a “fiery, cheerful, octopus-like drummer” who has “breathed a very potent breath of freshness” into the band. This newfound energy is immediately apparent in “Little Lord Fentanyl,” where Hoffman’s playful, unconventional approach to rhythm provides the perfect foundation for Claypool’s signature bass wizardry and Keenan’s serpentine vocal delivery.
The single didn’t materialize out of thin air—fans got their first taste when the track debuted live during the recent kickoff of the “Sessanta v2.0” tour, a collaborative outing with A Perfect Circle and Puscifer celebrating Keenan’s “60(ish)” birthday (he’s actually 61, but who’s counting?). Unlike previous collaborations between these musical entities, “Little Lord Fentanyl” is distinctly a Primus release with Keenan appearing as a guest vocalist.
Timing-wise, the release cleverly bridges two significant tours for the band. Currently, they’re in the midst of the spring “Sessanta” tour—a unique experience where members of Primus, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer swap personnel throughout the night, creating ever-shifting musical configurations that tackle each other’s material in unexpected ways. Looking ahead, the band will launch their “Onward & Upward” summer headline tour on July 5th in Paso Robles, California.
This summer trek will give fans across the country a proper introduction to the Hoffman era of Primus, with 24 cities on the itinerary including performances at prestigious venues like Red Rocks Amphitheatre, The Greek Theatre, and The Rooftop at Pier 17. The tour concludes with a two-night finale at Channel 24 in Sacramento, with support acts Ty Segall and MonoNeon joining on select dates.
“Little Lord Fentanyl” showcases everything longtime fans have come to expect from Primus—bass-driven prog-funk weirdness, darkly humorous lyrical themes, and technical virtuosity—while simultaneously pointing toward an exciting new chapter in their ever-evolving story. With Hoffman now firmly installed behind the kit and the creative fires clearly reignited, this single suggests the band has no intention of mellowing with age.
