Primus - A Handful of Nuggs EP REVIEW

 

42 years after its inception, it is safe to say that San Francisco's weirdo-funk ensemble Primus has left its mark. brainchild of bassist extraordinaire Les Claypool, Primus remains a snapshot of the bizarre popular media scene that somehow took hold during the 90's. Now, in 2026, Les Claypool returns with A Handful of Nuggs, an EP that delivers one good song and not much else.

Featuring a character bearing Les Claypool's likeness and an impressive art style, the music video for The Ol' Grizz, track number one of A Handful of Nuggs, is impressive. The song and video very much complement each other, and tell the story of a man that buys an old gold mine in hopes of getting rich. The obsession with gold ends up consuming the character, and he ends up never being "...a rich man, With pockets full of gold".

 

The Ol' Grizz is very good, a track that recalls Primus's heydays when they released those first handful of studio albums. The fact that the song is so good, unfortunately, makes the rest of the EP pale in comparison. Track number two is a cover of Dio's Holy Diver, and although it is by no means bad, it does not offer the listener anything new either. Holy Diver is iconic, and the vocals by Puddles Pity Party (the singing clown from YouTube?!) are actually pretty decent. It just that, by Primus standards, this is a very by-the-book cover. Little Lord Fentanyl is a collab with Puscifer, but it just ends up being forgettable. The fourth and final track in the album, Duchess (And The Proverbial Mind Spread) is a live track recording that actually rips. This track made its studio debut in 1997's Brown Album, and it is awesome. Apparently, it has returned to Primus' live set lists for the first time in quite some years, which prompted its inclusion on this EP.

 

All in all, this is a rather bland output. The Ol' Grizz is the saving grace of this release, given that the song is fresh and really feels like Primus at their peak. The remainder of the EP, however, is nothing too memorable.

Final Verdict Forgettable A mediocre and unremarkable album. It may have its moments, but ultimately leaves little impression and fades from memory.