Red Hot Chili Peppers Take a Trip in ‘Tippa My Tongue’ Video

“Acid landing on my tongue, I think you know we’ve just begun.” Frontman Anthony Kiedis puts a blotter of California Sunshine on the ‘tippa his tongue’ and away we go. Instantly transported into a world of vibrant colour, mutating eyeballs and interdimensional portals, the ‘Tippa My Tongue’ video waits no time at all before plunging Chili Peppers’ fans into a trippy multimedia experience. 

Produced by Imposter and directed by Malia James - the creative force of nature behind Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ ‘These Are The Ways’ music video earlier this year - this latest release from the Californian icons brings the band back to its psychedelic roots and is the first single from the upcoming ‘Return of the Dream Canteen’ album.

Since the return of guitarist John Frusciante after 15 years away, RHCP have been experiencing something of a revival and ‘Tippa My Tongue’ is certainly a visual and aural throwback to the heady days of 1991’s ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik’ and 1999’s ‘Californication’. 

The video uses a mind-expanding combination of in-camera effects, VFX and beautifully hand-crafted animation from animators Julien Calemard and Thami Nabil - taking inspiration from classic animated rock videos (see Gerald Scarfe’s work with Pink Floyd). These out-there visuals are combined with high-energy footage of the band performing to camera in a dreamlike landscape - reminiscent of the animation/live-action mix of the ‘Californication’ video that kept many eyes glued to MTV and other music channels in the ‘90s.