Traffic Lights (Flea song)
| "Traffic Lights" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Flea featuring Thom Yorke | ||||
| from the album Honora | ||||
| Released | January 14, 2026 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 5:41 | |||
| Label | Nonesuch | |||
| Songwriters | Flea, Yorke and Josh Johnson | |||
| Producer | Johnson | |||
| Flea singles chronology | ||||
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| Thom Yorke singles chronology | ||||
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| Official visualizer | ||||
| "Traffic Lights" (feat. Thom Yorke) on YouTube | ||||
"Traffic Lights" is a song by the American bassist Flea, released as the second single from his debut solo album, Honora, on January 14, 2026, by Nonesuch Records. It features the Radiohead singer Thom Yorke.
Background
Flea wrote "Traffic Lights" with Josh Johnson and Thom Yorke. Flea said the song reminded him of his work with Yorke in the band Atoms for Peace, and so invited him to collaborate. Flea said: "I thought it would be a rhythm and a sensibility that he would relate to. And I was right, he did. With a gorgeous melody and the words, you know, about living in the "upside down" and how do you make sense of things when we're getting all this fake shit and real shit? Everyone has their ways of dealing with the world. But he's just the warmest, free flowing, jamming motherfucker."[1] The Atoms for Peace member Mauro Refosco also contributed percussion.[1]
Release and reception
"Traffic Lights" was released as the second single from Flea's upcoming debut solo album, Honora, on January 14, 2026.[2][3] The Stereogum critic Tom Breihan wrote: "It's got Yorke's inimitable voice floating over a busy, lively, percussive jazz landscape, and it sounds really cool."[4] Trey Alston stated that it is a "smooth, mid-tempo groove that wouldn't sound out of place on an episode of Hey Arnold! With its trumpets and soft drums, a marriage of Yorke's soothing voice and hand claps in the background", saying that "it's the perfect glimpse of what to expect on the project".[3]
Personnel
According to Apple Music:[5]
- Thom Yorke – vocals, piano, synthesizer
- Flea – trumpet, electric bass guitar
- Josh Johnson – alto saxophone
- Deantoni Parks – drums
- Nathaniel Walcott – Rhodes piano
- Jeff Parker – guitar
- Mauro Refosco – percussion
References
- ^ a b Breihan, Tom (2026-01-14). "Flea reunites with Atoms for Peace bandmate Thom Yorke on new single 'Traffic Lights'". Stereogum. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
- ^ Pearis, Bill. "Flea announces debut solo album & tour, shares "Traffic Lights" ft Thom Yorke". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
- ^ a b Alston, Trey (2026-01-14). "Flea Announces New Album Honora, Reveals "Traffic Lights" with Thom Yorke". Consequence. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (2026-01-14). "Flea Reunites With Atoms For Peace Bandmate Thom Yorke On New Single "Traffic Lights"". stereogum.com. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
- ^ Traffic Lights (feat. Thom Yorke) by Flea on Apple Music, 2026-01-14, retrieved 2026-01-14