American Head is the sixteenth studio album by experimental rock band the Flaming Lips, released on September 11, 2020, on Warner Records in the US and Bella Union in the UK.[9] Produced by Dave Fridmann and Scott Booker, alongside the band itself, the album represents a return to the band's American roots. It is the final studio album to feature founding bass guitarist Michael Ivins[10] and keyboardist Jake Ingalls, who both departed from the band in 2021 as well as drummer Nicholas Ley who departed in 2023.[11][12] It is subsequently the final album featuring the expanded seven person line-up of the group that began with 2017's Oczy Mlody.
| American Head | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 11, 2020 | |||
| Recorded | December 2019 – January 2020[1] | |||
| Studio | Tarbox Road Studios (Cassadaga, New York) Pink Floor Studios (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) | |||
| Genre | Psychedelic rock[2] | |||
| Length | 50:35 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer | ||||
| The Flaming Lips chronology | ||||
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| Singles from American Head | ||||
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It received critical acclaim from critics upon release. Its release was preceded by six singles: "Flowers of Neptune 6", "My Religion Is You", "Dinosaurs on the Mountain", "You n Me Sellin' Weed", "Will You Return / When You Come Down" and "Mother Please Don't Be Sad".
Background
On March 23, 2020, Drozd announced that the band's sixteenth studio album, titled American Head, was due for release that summer.[13] The album represents a shift in identity as the band decided to focus on their American roots on the album.[4] Many of the songs reference Wayne Coyne's turbulent upbringing with his brothers in Oklahoma City.[14] The band officially announced the album's release date as September 11, 2020, along with the single "My Religion Is You" on June 26, 2020.[4] Coyne gave a track-by-track breakdown of the album for Apple Music.[15] The album artwork contains a photograph of Coyne's older brother Tommy, taken around 1970.[16]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.5/10[17] |
| Metacritic | 81/100[18] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [19] |
| Consequence of Sound | A−[20] |
| The Independent | [21] |
| Mojo | [22] |
| NME | [23] |
| The Observer | [24] |
| Paste | 5.8/10[14] |
| Pitchfork | 7.7/10[25] |
| The Times | [26] |
| Uncut | 9/10[27] |
American Head received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to ratings from professional publications, it received a weighted mean score of 81 based on 20 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[18] Tyler Clark of Consequence of Sound gave the album an A− rating, writing, "American Head stands alongside The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots as one of the very best records the Flaming Lips have recorded".[20] Tom Pinnock of Uncut gave the album a 9 out of 10 rating, praising the band for "examining the nature of family, love, death and nostalgia with a sincerity and tenderness that's been missed."[27] Jude Rogers of Mojo praised the tracks "Mother I've Taken LSD", "Mother Please Don't Be Sad", and "Brother Eye", writing, "They suggest a place for the band's psychedelic imagination in more present, physical realms, which feels new."[22] Pitchfork gave the album a 7.7 with the summary, "At the top of their fifth decade, the Lips rekindle their past romance with Neil Young’s piano ballads, the Beatles’ psychedelic guitar tones, and Bowie’s stargazing anthems on a deeply personal album."[25]
Year-end lists
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consequence of Sound | Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 47 | |
| Mojo | The 75 Best Albums of 2020 | 10 | |
| Spin | The 30 Best Albums of 2020 | 21 | |
| Uncut | The Top 75 Albums of the Year | 32 | |
| Under the Radar | Top 100 Albums of 2020 | 47 |
Track listing
All tracks are written by the Flaming Lips[33]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Will You Return / When You Come Down" | 5:20 |
| 2. | "Watching the Lightbugs Glow" | 2:53 |
| 3. | "Flowers of Neptune 6" | 4:30 |
| 4. | "Dinosaurs on the Mountain" | 3:38 |
| 5. | "At the Movies on Quaaludes" | 3:41 |
| 6. | "Mother I've Taken LSD" | 3:47 |
| 7. | "Brother Eye" | 4:23 |
| 8. | "You n Me Sellin' Weed" | 4:56 |
| 9. | "Mother Please Don't Be Sad" | 3:35 |
| 10. | "When We Die When We're High" | 3:39 |
| 11. | "Assassins of Youth" | 4:12 |
| 12. | "God and the Policeman" (featuring Kacey Musgraves) | 2:28 |
| 13. | "My Religion Is You" | 3:33 |
| Total length: | 50:35 | |
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[1]
Performance
The Flaming Lips
- Wayne Coyne
- Steven Drozd
- Michael Ivins
- Derek Brown
- Jake Ingalls
- Matt Kirksey
- Nicholas Ley
Other musicians
- Kacey Musgraves – additional vocals (2, 3, 12)
- Micah Nelson – additional vocals (1), additional guitar (1)
Technical
- The Flaming Lips – production, recording, mixing
- Dave Fridmann – production, recording, mixing, mastering
- Scott Booker – production
- Dennis Coyne – recording, mixing, additional production
- Mike Fridmann – additional production
Design
- Kenny Coyne – photography
- George Salisbury – layout, design
- Wayne Coyne – layout, design
Charts
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[34] | 41 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[35] | 17 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[36] | 78 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[37] | 64 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[38] | 16 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[39] | 5 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[40] | 28 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[41] | 17 |
| US Billboard 200[42] | 172 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[43] | 25 |