The Flaming Lips will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their landmark 2006 album At War With the Mystics this fall with a comprehensive new anthology box set. Scheduled for release on November 13, the six-disc collection features previously unreleased demos, studio outtakes, non-album tracks, and live concert recordings.
The original album, which followed the critically acclaimed Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, spawned several psychedelic college radio hits, including “The W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat),” “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power),” and “It Overtakes Me.” These tracks helped propel the record to No. 11 on the Billboard 200 chart.
The upcoming box set offers an in-depth look at the album’s creation. It includes the expanded original record with B-sides and compilation tracks, alongside a detailed behind-the-scenes chronicle of the songwriting process. One disc features various short demos, showcasing the evolution of tracks like “The W.A.N.D.” through multiple instrumental and early vocal versions. To preview the reissue, the band has released a sparse demo of “The Sound of Failure (2 Demos),” featuring frontman Wayne Coyne accompanied by acoustic guitar and keys, as well as a piano-driven variation.
The collection also boasts previously unreleased songs, soundtrack contributions to films like The Heartbreak Kid and Spider-Man 3, a Goldfrapp remix of “The W.A.N.D.,” and the band’s iTunes Originals session. The CD edition concludes with two full live albums: U.F.O.s at the Zoo – The Legendary Concert in Oklahoma City and Live at the Hollywood Bowl, while the vinyl version features a slightly different track arrangement.
Following recent lineup changes, including the departure of Stephen Drozd, the band has only one remaining concert scheduled for the year, appearing at Tecate Comuna 2026 in Cholula, Mexico, on November 28.
