“A Handful Of Nuggs“, a new four-song EP from alternative metal oddballs Primus, is now streaming online. That effort features the all-new track, “The Ol’ Grizz“, which is part of the band’s forthcoming tenth studio album. The trio have been working on that next entry in their catalog in recent months, and intend to have it out in 2027.
For now, the title of this new EP seemingly stems from another passion of Primus vocalist and bassist extraordinaire, Les Claypool. In a newly published interview with Bass Magazine, Claypool said of his love of prospecting for gold:
“I bought me a gold mine up in the mountains. It’s an old hydraulic mine, and I’ve been going up there to explore it. My friends and my son and I dig holes and look for some nuggets. I’ve already found a handful of them. It’s a good ol’ time, getting dirty and hoping to not step on a rattlesnake or get eaten by a bear.”
In addition to the aforementioned new track, “A Handful Of Nuggs” features a cover of Dio‘s “Holy Diver” that pairs Primus with Puddles Pity Party — a collaboration they’ve previously performed live. The EP also features “Little Lord Fentanyl“, Primus‘ collaborative track with Maynard James Keenan of Tool, A Perfect Circle & Puscifer fame.
Capping off the effort is a live recording of “Duchess And The Proverbial Mind Spread” from a show that took place at the TD Pavilion at The Mann in Philadelphia, PA. The latter two tracks were previously released as part of a 7″ amid Primus‘ 2025 run on the ‘Sessanta‘ tour alongside A Perfect Circle and Puscifer.
Primus‘ upcoming tenth album will be the band’s first since recruiting drummer John “Hoffer” Hoffman into their roster in 2025. Hoffman won that role amid a global hunt for a replacement for Tim “Herb” Alexander, who abruptly left the band in 2024. Claypool admitted that to this day, he has yet to talk to Alexander since their split. He said of that in his new chat with Bass Magazine:
“When Herb left the band, it felt like the rug being pulled out from under us. Nobody expected it. We were all getting along great, we were having a blast, and we were excitedly talking about the future. Then all of a sudden, we were like, what the hell happened? I have no idea what happened; I still haven’t spoken to him at all. I was like, holy shit, what do we do?
We had a New Year’s show booked, and we asked Herb to come play it — we could send him out with a bang, a farewell show. We could’ve made t-shirts and it would’ve been a whole thing. But he wouldn’t even respond to us.
So, I had the idea to get a bunch of my bands together and do Claypool Gold. It was amazing, a wonderful night, and then promoters started hearing about it. Our manager told us that people wanted this. So that’s why we’re doing it this summer.”
When asked about what Primus have in store at the moment, Claypool had the following to reveal:
“We’re about to release a 12” that has two new singles, then ‘Lord Fentanyl‘ and the live version of ‘Dutchess‘. We recorded a new song, ‘The Ol’ Griz‘, that’s going to be part of the next record, and we also did a cover of Dio’s ‘Holy Diver‘ with Puddles the Clown. We have to do all this touring, so it won’t be ready until next year.”
As of press time, availability for the 12″ pressing of this new EP has yet to be revealed, but the band’s Club Bastardo store store seems like a safe bet to keep an eye on. Asked by Bass Magazine how Primus‘ new material has been shaping up, Claypool offered:
“I’m really excited because Ler has been bringing in a lot of stuff, which I love. Some of my favorite tunes are the ones that Ler has written. I’ve been pushing Hoffer to bring in ideas, too. For many years, it was mainly me bringing in the songs, but I never want it to just sound like a Claypool thing. When they bring in stuff, I get to interpret their shit, which is fun for me. There’s a lot of stuff we’re kicking around, and at some point, we’ll get back to it.”
Later in the chat, Primus even shared some praise for Angine de Poitrine. That masked Eastern Canadian psych rock band have been making waves this year, and have drawn many comparisons to Primus. Claypool said of that duo, “Primus is an acquired taste. I’ve had 40 people send me Angine de Poitrine because they think it’s some derivative Primus thing. I get that and I go, brilliant! The world is finally coming around to shit that I like.”
Primus, and Les Claypool in particular, have a busy touring slate booked for 2026. They’ll be undertaking the ‘Claypool Gold‘ tour starting next week in Reno, NV. That ambitious bill will pair Primus with The Claypool Lennon Delirium, who themselves just released their new album, “The Great Parrot-Ox And The Golden Egg Of Empathy“. Yet another Les Claypool project, his Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, will open that run.
05/20 Reno, NV – Reno Events Center
05/22 Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater
05/23 Redmond, WA – Marymoor Live
05/25 Bonner, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater
05/26 Salt Lake City, UT – The Lot at the Complex
05/28 Kansas City, MO – Starlight Amphitheatre
05/30 St. Louis, MO – The Factory
05/31 Rochester Hills, MI – Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
06/02 Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion
06/03 Chicago, IL – Salt Shed
06/05 Pelham, TN – The Caverns Outdoor Amphitheater
06/06 Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live! Outdoor
06/09 Portland, ME – Thompson’s Point
06/10 Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion
06/12 Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
06/13 Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summerstage
06/14 Columbia, MD – All Good Now Festival
06/16 Charlotte, NC – The AMP Ballantyne
06/17 North Charleston, SC – Firefly Distillery
06/19 St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre
06/20 Atlanta, GA – Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
06/22 Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
06/23 Austin, TX – ACL Live at Moody Theatre
06/25 Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
06/27 Dillon, CO – Dillon Amphitheater
06/28 Dillon, CO – Dillon Amphitheater
06/30 Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
07/01 San Diego, CA – Gallagher Square
07/03 Long Beach, CA – Long Beach Amphitheater
07/04 Napa, CA – Meritage Resort & Spa
Primus also have a summer European/UK Tour booked, with the below dates confirmed:
07/31 Milan, ITA – Circolo Magnolia
08/03 Ljubljana, SLO – Krizanke
08/06 Warsw, POL – Masovian Voideship
08/07 Jaromer, CZE – Brutal Assaut Festival
08/08 Kortrijk, BEL – Alcatraz Festival
08/10 Frankfurt, GER – Batschkapp
08/11 Cologne, GER – Carlswerk Victoria
08/13 Carhaix-Plouguer, FRA – Motocultor Festival
08/15 Eindhoven, NET – Dynamo Metalfest
08/17 Manchester, UK – Manchester Academy
08/18 Glasgow, UK – Barrowland Ballroom
08/19 London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town
08/21 Bristol, UK – ArcTanGent Festival
