American Head
studio
Artistthe Flaming Lips
CoverThe Flaming Lips American Head Cover.png
ReleasedSeptember 11, 2020
RecordedDecember 2019 – January 2020[1]
StudioTarbox Road Studios
(Cassadaga, New York)
Pink Floor Studios
(Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
GenrePsychedelic rock[2]
Length50:35
Label
Producer
Prev year2019

American Head is the sixteenth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released on September 11, 2020, on Warner Records in the US and Bella Union in the UK.[3] 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[4] and keyboardist Jake Ingalls, who both departed from the band in 2021, as well as drummer Nicholas Ley who departed in 2023.[5][6] It is subsequently the final album featuring the expanded seven person line-up of the group that began with 2017's Oczy Mlody. This album also marks the last appearance of long time member Steven Drozd who departed in 2025 ending the core trio of Coyne, Drozd, Ivins that had been in place since 1996.[7]

It received critical acclaim 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.[8] The album represents a shift in identity as the band decided to focus on their American roots on the album.[9] Many of the songs reference Wayne Coyne's turbulent upbringing with his brothers in Oklahoma City.[10] 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.[9] Coyne gave a track-by-track breakdown of the album for Apple Music.[11] The album artwork contains a photograph of Coyne's older brother Tommy, taken around 1970.[12]

Critical reception

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 80 based on 23 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13] 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".[14] 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".[15] 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."[16] 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."[17]

Year-end lists

Year-end list accolades for American Head
PublicationListRankRef.
Consequence of SoundTop 50 Albums of 2020
47
[18]
MojoThe 75 Best Albums of 2020
10
[19]
SpinThe 30 Best Albums of 2020
21
[20]
UncutThe Top 75 Albums of the Year
32
[21]
Under the RadarTop 100 Albums of 2020
47
[22]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[1]

Performance

The Flaming Lips

Other musicians

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 performance for American Head
Chart (2020)Peak
position

References

  1. ^ American Head (liner notes). Bella Union. 2020. BELLA1052V.
  2. ^ Whiting, Kyle (September 14, 2020). "The Flaming Lips' American Head is dreamy, ethereal, and extremely psychedelic". WXPN. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  3. ^ "The Flaming Lips debut 'Flowers Of Neptune 6'". bellaunion.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  4. ^ "Spaceface on Instagram: "Hey y'all: I chose to leave The Flaming Lips …". Instagram. Archived December 24, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  5. ^ thesatellitehead (November 6, 2023). "Wayne Coyne reflects on Nicholas Ley joining The Flaming Lips following his departure". Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  6. ^ thesatellitehead (December 4, 2022). "Wayne Coyne on Michael Ivins & Jake Ingalls leaving The Flaming Lips". Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  7. ^ Harrison, Scoop (December 17, 2025). "Steven Drozd Says He's No Longer in The Flaming Lips". Consequence. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  8. ^ Hill, Jeffrey (March 23, 2020). "The Songs (and Sounds) of Space with Steven Drozd & The Flaming Lips". Via Satellite. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  9. ^ Ehrlich, Brenna (June 26, 2020). "The Flaming Lips Get Patriotic on New Album 'American Head,' Out This Fall". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  10. ^ Schonfeld, Zach (September 9, 2020). "The Flaming Lips Revel in Patriotism and Druggy Fantasies on American Head". Paste. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  11. ^ "American Head by The Flaming Lips on Apple Music". Apple Music. September 11, 2020. Archived from the original on September 12, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  12. ^ "My oldest brother Tommy.. holding the photo ( I think from 1970) that turned into the American Head album cover image...". December 11, 2022.
  13. ^ "American Head by The Flaming Lips Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  14. ^ Clark, Tyler (September 11, 2020). "The Flaming Lips Return to Earth on Devastatingly Beautiful American Head: Review". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  15. ^ Pinnock, Tom. "Brainville: Lips go Americana, with added Kacey Musgraves". Uncut. No. 280. September 2020 ed. p. 29.
  16. ^ Rogers, Jude. "Heads, you win: The Lips' reimagined radio rock history.". Mojo. No. 322. September 2020 ed. p. 86.
  17. ^ Berman, Stuart (September 11, 2020). "The Flaming Lips: American Head Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  18. ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2020". Consequence of Sound. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  19. ^ "The 75 Best Albums Of 2020". Mojo. No. 326. January 2021. p. 54.
  20. ^ "The 30 Best Albums of 2020". Spin. December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  21. ^ "The Top 75 Albums Of The Year". Uncut. No. 284. January 2021. p. 74.
  22. ^ "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2020". Under the Radar. January 15, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.