Just days before Phish embark on their reunion tour, the quartet are releasing a new track titled “Time Turns Elastic,” their first fresh studio recording since their five-year hiatus.
If the title sounds familiar, it is because the track began as a collaboration between singer-guitarist Trey Anastasio and composer Don Hart. In addition, a classical version of the suite debuted with the Orchestra Nashville in September 2008 and was performed in Baltimore last week. The Phish rendition is now available on iTunes, while Trey’s studio version of Time Turns Elastic – along with his original demo – will be released on June 9th.
The track will appear on the band’s new album, due out July 28th, the band announced in a press release.
The lengthy song, which clocks in at 13 minutes and 29 seconds, “just kept growing and growing,” according to Anastasio. Even before Phish posted footage of the song being performing in the studio on their Web site, dedicated fans had already found the track on iTunes. The song is also streaming in its long entirety at Phish’s MySpace page.
Apart from “Time Turns Elastic,” Phish is working on their first album since 2004’s Undermind. Producer Steve Lillywhite, who oversaw the band’s 1996 disc Billy Breathes, is returning to work on the new LP. The band’s own JEMP Records will release the still-untitled album, which is due out on July 28th.
Following Phish’s three-night stand at Virginia’s Hampton Arena in March, which featured a new song called “Backwards Down the Number Line,” the band officially embarks on their reunion tour starting May 31st with a performance at Boston’s Fenway Park. From there, Phish will headline two nights at Bonnaroo and four nights at Colorado’s Red Rocks.
