With yesterday’s big announcement, Phish fans everywhere are wondering what the band’s 13th studio album Big Boat has in store. So far we have just two pieces of information: the album artwork (seen above) and the release date, October 7th. Notoriously absent, however, is a full track listing for the new release.
Today, a short blurb in Rolling Stone’s Fall Music Preview shines some light on the new album, including one song that will be featured. In the blurb, Trey Anastasio mentions the new album’s origins, which stem from producer Bob Ezrin asking them to delve deeper into their personal selves. “Who are you? What breaks your heart?” asked Ezrin, and Anastasio says that he wrote the song “Miss You” as a response to that question, touching on personal loss.
Watch the band’s live debut of “Miss You” at Wrigley Field earlier this summer, courtesy of YouTube user Jack Kempe.
Overall, Anastasio says that Big Boat has “a point of view,” citing the band’s “healthy respect for mortality.” Read the full blurb below:
At the end of sessions for 2014’s Fuego, Phish’s producer Bob Ezrin left them with a final thought: “He said, ‘I’d love to know more about you guys,’ ” says singer-guitarist Trey Anastasio. “‘Who are you? What breaks your heart?'” Big Boat tries to answer those questions; “Miss You” is a ballad Anastasio says he wrote about a personal loss, and other members wrote about “the twists and turns of life.” “There’s definitely a point of view to this one,” says Anastasio. “We’re old enough to have a healthy respect for mortality.”