When I first heard the new Red Hot Chili Peppers’ album “Return of the Dream Canteen,” which released Oct. 14, I was not impressed.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are legends. However, expecting a legendary album everytime one drops from them can only lead to disappointment. 

The first song is called “Tippa My Tongue.” The groovy song is catchy. It matches what you would imagine the Red Hot Chili Peppers making a song would sound like. 

Following “Tippa my Tongue” is the song “Peace and Love.” Again, this song is groovy and its sound makes you want to dance — or at least bob your head. 

So it’s not as though the songs don’t rock. They just appear to have the same vibe as one another. There was nothing too crazy or unexpected throughout the album. The album is instead filled with expected guitar riffs and rhythms. 

The fourth song on the album, “Eddie,” is the first song that sounded a bit different from the others. It’s the first song that had an impact on me. It pays tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen, as well as David Lee Roth — both who are rock legends.

The album is an experience. The album cover itself is an experience. I can feel the vibe the band was putting out. It is a meditative and, again, groovy album. It feels newer and more modern than past albums. 

The album will be both a refreshing and nostalgic experience for fans of the Red Hot Chili Peppers — for people who grew up listening to them and had the opportunity to see the band in their prime. 

However, I don’t believe this album will attract many new fans. It might just be because people like to listen to rap more than rock these days. This is what gives me a nostalgic feel from the album -— it reminds me that there was a time when classic rock ruled the world. It’s kind of sad how it’s changed.

The song “La La La La La La La La” was the first and only slow song on the album. When listening to the lyrics, it really does make me sad. The lyrics are perfect in the way that it shapes this specific feeling, like romantic loneliness. The lyrics are poetic but they are also simple and ironic.

For instance: “I wanna spin my wheels with you/ Win and lose some deals with you/ Tell me how it feels for you/ To order happy meals for two.” 

The final song on the album, “In the Snow,” is also different from the others. Its choruses are broken up with what sounds like poems. It shines light on the lyrical talent the band has. 

“Now I lay me down to reap the sleep of your selective sedative, repetitive/ An uncredited she comes, well-vetted/ Gracefully and studied/ Blue steadiness/ The wrath, the math.”

Hearing legendary classic rock artists drop new albums is kind of sad. It’s nice of them to use their talent to give the world as much music as they can, but it does continue to give me waves of nostalgia — like I’m missing something I’ve never felt before. 

The album is catchy, but because it will never top their highest-selling albums such as “Californication” and “Blood Sugar Sex Magik,” it feels like the band has settled into this chill nirvana indicating things are coming to an end.