It’s easy to dismiss recent works by The Flaming Lips. 2017’s Oczy Mlody is insanely trippy, but not very memorable outside of small handful of sneaky hits. 2019’s King’s Mouth is overbearing in its ridiculous concept, which features a giant baby who grows up to become a king – who then swallows the universe in order to save its inhabitants from an avalanche.  I mean, it’s The Flaming Lips – so these sort of out there stories are accepted as the norm – just as they were back in 2002 for their famed classic Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. They’ve always been easy to enjoy, but difficult to take seriously.

‘Flowers of Neptune 6’ strikes a slightly different tone. While the song still retains the band’s classic penchant for psychedelia and casual drug references (“doing acid and watching the lightbugs glow like tiny spaceships in a row“), the music itself feels much more accessible – rooted in acoustic guitars and soaring verses rather than impenetrable synths or exotic instrumentation. In the video, frontman Wayne Coyne can be seen adorned in an American flag, and also walking through a burning field in a bubble. The imagery isn’t lost on listeners in 2020, where COVID-19 has forced us to live in metaphorical bubbles while the world around us is seemingly in flames. While we do not yet know if there’s a central motif or theme surrounding the band’s upcoming September 11th release American Head, ‘Neptune 6’ seems to hint at something of a graver context than the fairytale kingdoms of King’s Mouth or unicorns/frogs of Oczy Mlody.

There’s something especially jarring about The Flaming Lips  (traditionally renowned for a total lack of seriousness) creating a piece like this.  It doesn’t give off the same carefree, lighthearted psych-pop vibe that we’re used to getting from them. After listening to ‘Neptune 6’ and watching the video, the mood is more melancholic – almost like a funeral for some unknown place or time. The high-pitched vocal flourishes that close out the song – accompanied by an ever-so-brief (Kacey Musgraves?) cameo – add an element of breathtaking beauty to a song otherwise devoid of hope, where Coyne can mostly be heard repeating the lines: “John’s still a greaser and Tommy’s gone off to war / James got busted and doesn’t give a fuck anymore / Oh my God why is it them?? Oh my God now it’s me.”

I have no idea what American Head will ultimately bring to the table in two months, but if the album follows in the footsteps of this sad and gorgeous little gem, then it will be an emotionally moving experience. The Flaming Lips have tapped into something here – it’s their best song since 2013’s The Terror, and the warmest/most sincere since At War With The Mystics. With lyrical topics that seem to fearlessly tackle front-and-center current events, American Head is destined to be one of the most important records of 2020. After all, ‘Neptune 6’ is already one of its most important songs.

Track Score: 4.5/5