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Honora

FLEA

Released 27 March 2026

Nonesuch Records

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A reflective, jazz-led debut that reveals a more introspective Flea - prioritising ensemble interplay, tone and personal expression over rock spectacle.​

 

Best known as the kinetic force behind Red Hot Chili Peppers, Flea steps into a very different space with Honora. After decades of high-energy collaboration, he described the album in an interview with Zane Lowe as “the opportunity to express all these different facets of myself that are purely me.”

That expression is realised not in isolation, but alongside a formidable ensemble: Deantoni Parks (drums), Jeff Parker (guitar), Josh Johnson (sax), Anna Butterss (bass), Mauro Refosco (percussion), alongside additional voices and guests including Thom Yorke and Nick Cave.

Honora begins with an unexpected gesture: “Golden Wingship”, a short, low-volume preamble that replaces fanfare with restraint. It’s a smart move, immediately signalling that this is not the Flea of stadium funk, but something more considered.

That shift is confirmed by “A Plea”, a pulsating jazz-rock fusion piece that sets both sonic and political tone: “Peace and love is the toughest, hardest thing you can do…” - a line delivered with urgency rather than idealism. On “Traffic Lights”, his collaboration with Thom Yorke extends their long association (via The Smile), pairing twitchy funk rhythms with Yorke’s familiar sense of lyrical unease.

It’s around fifteen minutes in that Flea’s individual voice comes into sharper focus. “Frailed” - the album’s trumpet-led centrepiece - builds from a simple pulse into a slow, hypnotic groove, its tension held in check rather than released. By contrast, “Morning Cry” is brisk and agile, a bebop-leaning ensemble piece that foregrounds the dexterity of the band.

A sequence of covers follows. Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain” is reimagined with trumpet in place of guitar, softening its edge; Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman” finds Nick Cave delivering a measured, deeply felt vocal; Frank Ocean’s “Thinking Bout You” becomes a melodic vehicle for trumpet; while “Willow Weep for Me” is pared back to a dialogue between brass and low-register synth.

Closing track “Free As I Want To Be” shifts the mood again - an optimistic, groove-led statement that feels autobiographical without stating so directly. It captures something of Flea’s trajectory: from a chaotic upbringing in Los Angeles through decades in explosive bands (including Jane's Addiction and The Mars Volta) to this role as bandleader within a jazz framework.

The title Honora - referencing the strong women in his life and ancestry - adds a final layer of context. Like the album itself, it suggests reflection rather than reinvention: a rebalancing of voice, history and intent.

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