The Flaming Lips, Sunrise (Eyes of the Young) | Track Review 🎵

Wayne Coyne and The Flaming Lips are introspective on clever single “Sunrise (Eyes of the Young).”  

Experimental rock band The Flaming Lips don’t sell particularly well. Did they ever? The answer is a resounding no. To date, the RIAA has certified just one TFL album: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robot.  Regardless, the band is prolific, continuing to push boundaries musically.  After a two-year hiatus – With a Little Help From my Fwends, released in late 2014 – TFL return with new album, Oczy Mlody.  Ahead of Oczy Mlody, the band issued four singles: “How??”, “Sunrise (Eyes of the Young),” “The Castle,” and “We a Famly.”

“Sunrise” features a groovy sound. The record blends a dash of urban music and the psychedelic rock the band thrives on. The piano sound stands out. Notably, it is drenched in effects, with reverb among them. Lyrically, “Sunrise” covers the sunrise, the sunbeams, and the sunset on respective verses.  On the first verse, frontman Wayne Coyne sings: “The sunrise insists on gladness / but how can I be glad / now my flower is dead…”  On the second verse, the key word seems to be child, finding Coyne reflecting on seemingly unrealistic dreams.

“The sunbeams
Burnin’ my child dreams
The machine that brings me joy
Now it’s just a stupid toy…” 

Sunset closes, adding a dash of profanity into the mix:

“Oh the sunset, is fuckin’ with my head
Feels like a dying love in the eyes of the young
Tell me love is neither living or dying.”

A hook-less song, a dramatic instrumental with some backing vocals arrives in-between verses. The music in between adds some unpredictability, keeping “Sunrise (Eyes of the Young)” fresh.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, “Sunrise (Eyes of the Young) is another winner from The Flaming Lips. The song seems to detail getting older, with youth dying with each successive verse.  A fantastic preview of Oczy Mlody.

The Flaming Lips • Oczy Mlody • Warner Bros. • Release: 1.13.17  

Photo Credits: Warner Bros.