Flea has shared a soulful jazz cover of the classic Frank Ocean track ‘Thinkin Bout You’.
The cover sees the Red Hot Chili Peppers legend put his own signature spin on the classic track – reimagining it as an instrumental and orchestral ballad.
It arrives as the latest single to be shared from his upcoming solo album, ‘Honora’ – which was first hinted at in December when he shared the lead single ‘A Plea’, and officially confirmed last month alongside another new song called ‘Traffic Lights’.
The record title takes its name from a beloved family member, with Flea composing, arranging the music and providing vocals. It also sees the legendary bassist and songwriter returning to his early roots as a trumpet player, and leaning into his longtime love of jazz.
Speaking about why he wanted to cover Frank Ocean for the forthcoming album, Flea said: “‘Channel Orange’! When that record came out, it really blew me away. I listened to it 10 million times. It was something I just couldn’t stop listening to. I loved it so much and still do. Just one of those real watershed moment records for me.”
“‘Thinkin Bout You’ is one of the many great songs on that record, and I thought it would be fun to play on trumpet,” he added. “Then I went to Nate Wolcott, who plays keyboards on ‘Honora’ on several tunes. He did that string arrangement for me. He stepped up to the plate and really did something beautiful. I just wanted to get the honest beauty of the melody because it’s a great song.”
The full 10-track album will arrive on March 27 via Nonesuch Records (pre-order/pre-save here), and sees the artist joined by an “elite band of modern jazz visionaries”.
Guest contributors include Nick Cave and Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke on vocals – the latter of which previously worked alongside Flea in the side-project group Atoms For Peace.
There are also appearances from album producer and saxophonist Josh Johnson, guitarist Jeff Parker, bassist Anna Butterss, and drummer Deantoni Parks, as part of the ‘Honora’ band. Also performing in the group are Mauro Refosco (David Byrne, Atoms For Peace) and Nate Walcott (Bright Eyes), and more.
Flea will showcase the record live on an intimate tour later this year, which kicks off in Chicago on May 7, ahead of further North American dates in Toronto, Montreal, New York, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles.
From there, Flea will head to Europe for headline shows in Berlin, Amsterdam and Paris later that month. His only scheduled UK gig so far is due to take place at KOKO in Camden Town, London, on May 26.
Tickets are on sale now, and you can find any remaining UK and European tickets here, and here for North American shows.
The new solo project builds on Flea’s wide range of material outside of Red Hot Chili Peppers, including brief stints in Nirvana and Jane’s Addiction, and forming the aforementioned supergroup Atoms For Peace.
It also comes following his work with members of The Mars Volta in the rock group Antemasque, and after his short-lived side project Rocket Juice & The Moon, alongside Damon Albarn and Tony Allen.
The California funk-rock icons shared their last new material back in 2022, three years after they welcomed guitarist John Frusciante back into the line-up. They released two albums, ‘Unlimited Love‘ and ‘Return Of The Dream Canteen’.