The Flaming Lips Announce “The Teardrop Throbs,” Spotlight Bassist Tommy McKenzie
The Flaming Lips have announced The Teardrop Throbs, marking their 17th studio album and label debut on Third Man Records. The album drops on January 22nd, 2027 on CD and Vinyl and as a digital download (Apple Music, and Amazon Music).
Vocalist Wayne Coyne shared notes on making the album, explaining that it began with misreading a sign that read “Children’s Health Foundation” as “Children’s Death Foundation” and remembering his mother’s work assisting grieving families.
“It occurred to me there will never be anything in my life as important as my two little boys.. So.. I am lucky,” Coyne shared. “To have arrived at the greatest of the greatest purposes in life ..yes.. I am here. But also we ( The Flaming Lips ) are making a new record and what’s in your mind usually finds its way into your music whether you intend it to or not. The first song on this new record was also the first song that presented itself in this 2 year process.”
The Teardrop Throbs will be the first album to feature bassist Tommy McKenzie, who joined the fold in 2021. His bass line features prominently in the slow burning single “God Will Control the Werewolves.”
Coyne shared that the third track, “Titan,” began as a piece by McKenzie.
“The third track was a throbbing little song that Tommy ( our bass player ) cooked up on his home Pro-Tools rig .. when it arrived it was called .. I think .. Matrix .. it was menacing but also kind of hyper and it was a fun mood to insert right after the slow dark God Will Control the Werewolves track,” he explained. “We added some Mellotron flutes and an awkward chord break in the middle. And left it alone for a bit . And then one morning I was walking to the Tim Hortons down the road from Dave Fridmann’s studio ( it’s almost 2 miles there) and I had this song ( this Matrix song ) running through my head and I had my phone out and I got a text from Perry Farrell.. he sent a little poem about ( hold on let me find the text ) being like a frog and jumping from one idea of life to another .. jump lightly and don’t mess up your lillypads .. ( how great is that !!) and I was reminded of his crazy intense singing ( like Coming Down The Mountain.. that song ) and pictured a high energetic voice screaming some advice about taking action !! The Frogs are Jumping oh oh!! The Sun’s eruptin let’s go!! The Titans are hunting !! The stars are melting Let’s go!!! Matt did some amazing high singing and Improvising that really opened up a new melodic sense that The Flaming Lips hadn’t played with before.”
The Flaming Lips will introduce the album to fans with a series of intimate performances in the US and UK. They’ll spend two nights each in Nashville, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and London. See the tour poster for details.
The Teardrop Throbs Track List:
- Throb
- God Will Control The Werewolves
- Titan
- Every Teardrop Cried
- Hooray
- Instructions On How To Draw An Eyeball
- or How To Deal With A Loved One Who Is Addicted To Drugs
- You See You In Me
- You’ve Got Brain Damage
- At the End of the Day
- The Trees Are Getting Their Leaves / Ceasefire In The City of Singing Flame
- Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell Part Two
- A Sunset Far Away
- Now I Understand
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
