Primus have put out a music video for “The Ol’ Grizz”, and while the song already appeared on the band’s A Handful Of Nuggs EP back in May, it comes with a bigger piece of news attached: the track is set to land on Primus‘s tenth studio album, which the band is targeting for 2027.
The clip, directed by Cage Claypool, Les Claypool‘s son and a regular behind the camera for the band, is a largely animated affair following the misadventures of an old-timey gold prospector, cut with live footage of the trio. The prospector theme is not random: Les Claypool‘s real-life enthusiasm for gold panning inspired both the song and the EP’s “Nuggs” title, a typically Primus bit of wordplay.
“The Ol’ Grizz” is among the first studio recordings to feature new drummer John Hoffman, and it puts the current lineup’s chemistry front and center. Claypool, guitarist Larry “Ler” LaLonde and Hoffman lock into the twisted, rubbery interplay that has defined the band for decades — darting between high-speed bass runs, warped psychedelic textures and explosive drumming, held together by that unmistakable Primus mix of technical precision and off-kilter groove.
Hoffman‘s arrival was no small matter. The Shreveport native joined in 2025 after beating out more than 6,100 applicants in a worldwide audition the band dubbed the “Interstellar Drum Derby” — a search prompted by the departure of Tim “Herb” Alexander, the classic-era drummer who left the band again in October 2024. Alexander anchored some of Primus‘s most beloved albums, including Frizzle Fry, Sailing The Seas Of Cheese, Pork Soda and Tales From The Punchbowl, which made finding a permanent replacement a tall order. By the band’s account, Hoffman‘s deep pocket, unpredictable musical mind and instant rapport with Claypool and LaLonde settled it.
A Handful Of Nuggs is a compact snapshot of where Primus are right now. Alongside “The Ol’ Grizz“, it collects the band’s cover of Dio‘s “Holy Diver” — sung by Puddles Pity Party, the melancholy singing-clown persona of Michael Geier — plus two recent fan favorites: “Little Lord Fent**yl“, featuring Maynard James Keenan, and a live recording of “Duchess (And The Proverbial Mind Spread)” captured at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia.
“Holy Diver” was written by the late Ronnie James Dio and served as the lead single and title track of Dio‘s 1983 debut album.
A Handful Of Nuggs track listing:
- “The Ol’ Grizz”
- “Holy Diver” (feat. Puddles Pity Party)
- “Little Lord Fent**yl” (feat. Puscifer)
- “Duchess (And The Proverbial Mind Spread)” (Live from the Mann Music Center, Philadelphia, PA)
On the road
Primus have a busy stretch ahead. Earlier this year they ran the “Claypool Gold Tour” across the U.S., a collaborative outing pulling together three of Les Claypool‘s various projects. Now they head to Europe and the UK for a run of festival dates — their first UK shows in nearly a decade — before an Australia and New Zealand tour alongside Queens Of The Stone Age and Tropical F**k Storm.
