Jane’s Addiction Debut Their First New Song in 10 Years, ‘True Love’

Earlier this week, Jane’s Addiction quietly debuted their first new song in 10 years, “True Love,” at the end of a show in Bakersfield, California, on Sunday, March 5. 

The song is a psych-tinged ballad that builds to an understated peak, with frontman Perry Farrell’s voice reverberating against twinkling guitars, splashy cymbals, and a pensive baseline. Fan-shot video of the performance arrived online a few days after the concert, and in the clip, Farrell introduced “True Love” by saying, “We want to give you something very special… We’re gonna leave you with a brand new song no one’s ever heard, you guys will hear it first.” 

The last official Jane’s Addiction single released was “Another Soulmate,” which arrived all the way back in 2013. Two years prior, the band had released what’s still their most recent album, 2011’s The Great Escape Artist. 

“True Love,” however, appears to offer some indication that Jane’s Addiction are making progress on a long-awaited follow-up. Last September, the band spoke with Rolling Stone about their future plans, which involved a reunion with founding Eric Avery, but also an extended hiatus for Dave Navarro, who’s grappling with the effects of long Covid (ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer is filling in on the current run, while Queens of the Stone Age’s Troy Van Leeuwen joined the band last year). Avery said Farrell approached him about a reunion in early 2022 and offered his pitch for the band’s future.

“He presented this idea of me returning to Jane’s, and how we would do it,” Avery recalled. “He was like, ‘Here’s a few years’ plan of how to return some luster to Jane’s Addiction.’ It involved writing new music and playing shows.”

A couple of months later, Jane’s Addiction told Alt Press that they’d spent several days in the studio with producers James Ford and Pete Robinson. At the time, they said they completed the bulk of three new songs, though were leaving the guitar parts open for either Navarro, Klinghoffer, or Van Leeuwen to contribute. 

“I don’t know who will end up recording the guitar tracks, but I’d love to see Dave, Troy, Josh and Daniel [Ash] contribute — all the guys on the tour that really stuck it out,” Farrell said.