Primus | A Handful of Nuggs Review

by Griff Stevens

Primus Finds Its Pulse Again on A Handful of Nuggs

Lineup changes often invite comparisons, but A Handful of Nuggs reveals the first studio releases to feature drummer John Hoffman is about expansion.  he four-track EP introduces a new rhythmic voice without disrupting the musical language that has long defined Primus. Within seconds of “The Ol’ Grizz,” Les Claypool’s bass and Hoffman’s drums establish the record’s center of gravity. Hoffman’s first entrance doesn’t redirect the music; it reinforces the groove already taking shape, making the band’s newest chapter feel immediately familiar while bringing fresh energy to its rhythmic foundation.

“The Ol’ Grizz” quickly reveals how that partnership functions. Keyboard textures, guitar figures, and Claypool’s slap-and-pop groove are all Primus. Hoffman locks to the bass as the arrangement stretches. Primus develops momentum through rhythmic evolution. An instrumental interlude begins with a steady quarter-note pulse before gradually widening into eighth-note motion as Claypool moves between lower-register grooves, upper-register fills, and chordal punctuations. Hoffman’s fills anticipate each transition instead of interrupting it, while Larry “Ler” LaLonde threads angular phrases and sustained textures around the rhythm section. Even a descending counterpoint passage feels less like a detour than another stage in the groove’s development before the opening figure naturally returns.

Claypool’s vocal approach reinforces that same rhythmic focus. He begins with chant-like phrases before slipping into talk-singing as the arrangement expands, treating the vocal line less as a sustained melody than another percussive layer woven into the movement of the bass and drums. Throughout the track, every musical decision seems to reinforce the same objective: keeping the groove alive even as the surrounding textures continue to evolve.

That philosophy extends across the EP. Primus shapes songs by evolving rhythmic relationships. Groove changes signal new sections, phrase exchanges generate forward motion, and subtle shifts in subdivision reshape the listener’s sense of momentum without sacrificing the underlying pulse. Even when the harmonic language turns angular or the arrangements become deliberately eccentric, the rhythm section provides a stable framework that keeps every unexpected turn connected to what came before.

On “Holy Diver,” the Primus sound is used in reconstructing Ronnie James Dio’s classic. Primus establishes the groove. Claypool’s bass occupies a prominent role in delivering a bright, sharply articulated attack while adding subtle fills that never disturb the song’s momentum. Hoffman approaches the arrangement with energy. The feel between Claypool and Hoffman is deep within the rock shuffle while still adding Primus’ embellishments. During the closing measures, tom-driven figures gradually increase the energy while the bass threads tasteful variations through the familiar ending. LaLonde’s solo follows the emotional trajectory of Vivian Campbell’s original without reproducing it note for note, choosing a leaner melodic path that serves the arrangement. The performance succeeds because its individuality comes through touch, phrasing, and ensemble balance rather than dramatic reinvention.

“Little Lord Fentanyl,” featuring Maynard James Keenan, broadens the rhythmic language even further. An intervallic bass figure establishes a compound-meter feel while LaLonde introduces harmonically unsettled material that resists predictable rock patterns. Chant-like, effect-treated vocals continue the band’s storytelling approach, functioning almost as another rhythmic voice inside the ensemble. As Claypool keeps the groove in constant motion, LaLonde frequently answers with long-held chords before breaking into angular double-stops, climbing arpeggios, and inversion-based phrases that briefly increase harmonic tension without loosening the rhythmic foundation. Coordinated band hits, brief developmental exchanges between bass, guitar, and drums, and a long descending tutti cadence all reinforce the impression of three musicians shaping form together in real time. Complexity is certainly present, but it never replaces groove as the band’s primary compositional engine.

The closing live recording of “Duchess (And The Proverbial Mind Spread),” captured at Philadelphia’s Mann Music Center, provides another angle of the chemistry extending naturally within the band. A reggae-inspired guitar pattern, an active fingerstyle bass line, and three clearly independent instrumental roles create a rhythmic landscape before the performance gradually opens into extended interaction. Hoffman’s drum feature develops through clearly articulated patterns that remain easy to follow despite their complexity, drawing an enthusiastic response from the audience before Claypool answers with a bass solo built around conversational phrase trading. As the exchange unfolds, LaLonde shifts from syncopated upstrokes into pedal-tone picking before using distortion and texture to push the ensemble toward a quiet, highly percussive breakdown. From there, the trio rebuilds the groove layer by layer until the original syncopated pulse returns, proving that the band’s most adventurous moments grow from collective listening rather than individual display.

Across its four tracks, A Handful of Nuggs offers a concise portrait of Primus at an important moment without treating that moment as a reinvention. The guest appearances, the Dio cover, and the live recording broaden the EP’s perspective, but they remain secondary to its central achievement. Hoffman doesn’t redefine Primus’s identity; he strengthens the rhythmic partnership that has long allowed the band’s angular writing, theatrical vocals, and unconventional structures to cohere. By the final cadence, what lingers isn’t simply the arrival of a capable new drummer. It’s the confidence of three musicians listening as closely to one another as they do to the pulse beneath them, reaffirming that Primus’s most distinctive instrument has always been the conversation taking place inside its rhythm section.

 

Artist: Primus
Album: A Handful of Nuggs
Label: Prawn Song Records under exclusive license to ATO Records, LLC

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Release Date: May 15, 2026