The Flaming Lips Announce World Tour, The Soft Bulletin Companion Release

The Flaming Lips, being strange, have always been more suited than most to adaptation to our strange new world post-COVID-19. The band, who have played in bubbles before, brought bubbles to their audience to put on a safe show in late 2020. As restrictions lift without the aid of human-sized hamster balls, The Flaming Lips are bringing their performances to the road again for a tour that starts this August.

The tour comes after the release of their latest album American Head, though the announcement comes with the release of an older, sought-after gem. The Soft Bulletin’s companion piece has been around since the album’s 1999 release, but was only distributed to press, family and friends. In spite of this, the CD’s outtakes and alternate songs developed a cult following to the point that its track “The Captain” made it onto their Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 compilation album. The Soft Bulletin Companion, a limited-edition release being sold as a part of Record Store Day, will be the first time that the song is put onto vinyl. The Flaming Lips are frequent contributors to Record Store Day, having in the past released records filled with beer. In 2012, the band celebrated the day by releasing some editions of Heady Fwends with the band’s blood inside.

You can find the dates for The Flaming Lips’ upcoming tour and a 2007 performance from the Paste archives below. Tickets for the tour go on sale this Friday, May 7, right here.