Phish Prep ‘Fuego,’ First New Studio Album in Five Years
Jam band veterans Phish are returning with a new studio album, Fuego, set to drop June 24th on JEMP Records. The 10-track LP, their 12th overall and first since 2009’s Joy, was produced by rock legend Bob Ezrin (Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed) and debuted in full by the band during their acclaimed Halloween gig in 2013.
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The bulk of Fuego was recorded at four different studios: Ronnie’s Place and Anarchy Studios in Nashville, Fame Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and Phish’s own “The Barn” in Burlington, Vermont. The title track was recorded on October 30th at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, as the band prepped for the Halloween show. Various horn players and backing vocalists contributed to the album.
“For years, there’s been a distinct difference between how we did things live and how we did them in the studio,” says drummer Jon Fishman in a press release. “But the way we go about things live, the way the musical ball is passed around, is now happening much more in the studio – not because we’re trying to duplicate how we play on stage, just because this is how we operate as a band, period.”
Last July, Anastasio spoke to Rolling Stone about the album’s intimate creation, saying the band has “created an atmosphere where it’s just the four of us again.” Back in March, the road warriors unveiled their busy summer tour schedule.
The band has already offered a Fuego appetizer in the form of “Waiting All Night,” a five-minute track built on breezy vocal harmonies and a laid-back, lightly psychedelic groove. Frontman Trey Anastasio takes a soulful vocal approach, as the backing voices build into a symphonic choir. Listen below.