The Flaming Lips have announced The Teardrop Throbs, a new album arriving on Friday 22 January 2027, alongside two London shows at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire. The Oklahoma City band revealed the record on Monday 26 October and released its first single, “God Will Control the Werewolves”, on the same day.
The 13-track album will be their first for Third Man Records and follows 2020’s American Head. For UK listeners, the announcement also brings a chance to hear the new material in a two-night format, with London performances confirmed for Friday 2 and Saturday 3 April 2027.
The Teardrop Throbs brings two different London nights
The shows are part of a short run of paired dates rather than a conventional single-night stop in each city. JamBase’s report on the announcement explains that the first evening will open with the new album performed in full, followed by a second set drawn from the band’s 20th-century catalogue.
On the second evening, the group will revisit the album in a different form before a second set devoted to songs from the 21st century. That structure gives the two dates distinct identities, pairing the same new collection with different periods of the band’s work. It also makes the choice of night more meaningful than simply choosing between two dates at the same venue.
The run starts at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl on 22 and 23 January, coinciding with the album’s release. New York follows on 26 and 27 January, with Los Angeles and Chicago dates in February before the London shows in April.
When London tickets go on sale
Third Man’s official announcement confirms an artist presale from Wednesday 28 October at 10am local time. Local presales follow on Thursday 29 October at 10am, with general sale beginning on Friday 30 October at 10am. For the London dates, those times are UK time.
The label directs fans to the band’s tour page for ticket information and updates. More dates are expected to be announced, but the two Shepherd’s Bush performances are the London shows specified in this announcement. Ticket prices are not included in the release.
The album is the group’s 17th studio collection and marks a change of label after a long association with Warner. Its arrival on Third Man adds another new element to a release that combines fresh songs with deliberate links to earlier records.
A new single rooted in family life
Wayne Coyne’s accompanying notes explain that “God Will Control the Werewolves” grew out of a game of hide-and-seek with his sons, Bloom and Rex, as darkness fell beneath a full moon. A child’s question about werewolves became the starting point for the song.
Coyne’s account places an everyday parental reassurance inside the band’s more fantastical imagery. He also describes imagining the sound of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon with Syd Barrett still in the group. That is his description of the creative idea behind the song, offering context for the single without fixing how listeners should interpret it.
Exclaim’s coverage confirms production by The Flaming Lips, Taylor Johnson, Dave Fridmann and Scott Booker, with additional production from Jon Fridmann and Mike Fridmann. The record’s titles include “Throb”, “Titan”, “Every Teardrop Cried”, “Hooray” and “A Sunset Far Away”.
Another track, “Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell Part Two”, returns to an idea associated with the band’s 2002 album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. The new release therefore looks backwards as well as forwards, a connection reflected in the two-night concert programme.
The Teardrop Throbs will be available digitally, on CD and on vinyl, including a limited blue edition. With the first single now available and ticket sales opening this week, the announcement gives fans both an immediate introduction to the record and dates to plan for next spring.
