Legendary Vermont jam band Phish released their new album, Evolve, on July 12. This new album – the band’s 16th studio release – is the centerpiece of a busy year for Phish. It comes following a boundary-breaking four-night run at Las Vegas’ Sphere, a tour across the US, their first music festival since 2015, and appearances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. The ambitious new album finds Phish bringing audiences tons of new material to experience.
In 2020, Phish announced a performance hiatus prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Following this announcement, fans waited four years for a studio follow up to 2020’s Sigma Oasis. That follow-up arrived on July 12, 2024, with Phish’s 16th studio album Evolve. The band, alongside producers Vance Powell and Bryce Goggin recorded the album throughout 2023 in their Vermont studio “the Barn.”
Evolve is truly a testament to Phish’s staying power, showing that even 30 years into their career, the group still retains a mastery of genre-experimentation and fun jams. The album mostly consists of softer-rock tracks that still contain enough instrumental flourishes and lyrical complexities to keep listeners invested. Whether it is the lush strings of “Mercy” or the vocal harmonies of “Ether Edge” these tracks illustrate a musical prowess and maturity like few other bands.
Although much of the album is more subdued, Phish still knows how to turn up the volume. “Wave of Hope” kicks off with an overdriven guitar riff that sounds straight from Deep Purple before evolving into a rock jam. With energetic guitar solos and a bluesy piano part, the song takes staples of classic rock and imbues them with Phish’s loose playfulness. “Life Saving Gun” really illustrated Phish’s genre-bending prowess. It begins as a funk-rock number, but as the song progresses it morphs into a psychedelic passage, featuring affected guitars and space-age sound effects, with spacey instrumentation before returning to its groovy base.
One highlight of the album is the title track “Evolve.” The song builds off catchy instrumental lines with jangly funk-inspired guitars, upbeat percussion and melodic pianos. On top of all this is Trey Anastasio’s lyricism touching on finding peace with the growing complexity of the world around us. “Then came the people with their problems and hope that don’t mean a thing if they just knew the scope.” Like the lyrical themes suggest, this song was born out of the Covid-19 Pandemic, with Anastasio penning it in the early days of the Covid lockdown.
This original version of the song was much more minimalistic than the final release, but still retained its beautiful ambience with whirling guitar lines and chimes. The album-version of “Evolve” is much more musically complex, evolving throughout its run. As the song progresses, it adds additional layers of strings, guitar lines, and energetic solos.
Overall, Evolve shows that Phish is still at the top of their game. The band takes their signature psychedelic jams, and imbues them with a toned-down maturity. Whereas for other groups, this could spell disaster, Phish pull it off especially well. As this album shows, “toned-down” is by no means boring, with each track containing complex instrumentation that keeps listeners going back to discover more. The album additionally retains Phish’s iconic genre-blending, knowing exactly when to splice in a harder track and add new flavor to its sonic palate. Evolve is a great testament to Phish’s experience and a sign of things to come in their future.
To celebrate the release of this new album, Phish made a special guest appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. On top of a performance of “Evolve,” the group took part in the show’s cold open. The skit features Phish, Fallon, and the Roots together in the Elevator of 30 Rock. The group then bursts into a parody of Aerosmith’s “Love In an Elevator,” comedically stopping whenever someone hops on the elevator.
This album release comes as part of a busy year for Phish. They have already sold out four-nights at the Sphere in Las Vegas back in April in the leadup to Evolve’s release. Following inaugural shows by U2, Phish made history as only the second band to play the state-of-the-art venue. The band played extended jams of songs both old and new, all while psychedelic imagery played on a 160,000 square foot screen above the stage. Among the songs performed was “Life Saving Gun” off of Evolve, brought to life by the venues immersive sound equipment.
Now, the band has announced a cross-country tour for the remainder of 2024. Beginning at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA, Phish will snake westward to Colorado. This tour includes many shows in and around New York, including two sold-out nights at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Arena. Additionally, Phish will play three shows at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, at the sight of the historic Woodstock Festival.
Phish Live 2024/2025 Dates
JULY
19 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
20 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
21 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
23 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena (SOLD OUT)
24 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena (SOLD OUT)
26 – East Troy, WI – Alpine Music Valley Music Theatre
27 – East Troy, WI – Alpine Music Valley Music Theatre
28 – East Troy, WI – Alpine Music Valley Music Theatre
30 – St. Louis, MO – Chaifetz Arena
31 – St. Louis, MO – Chaifetz Arena
AUGUST
2 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
3 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
4 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
6 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
7 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
9 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
10 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
11 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
15 – The Woodlands, Dover, DE – Mondegreen
16 – The Woodlands, Dover, DE – Mondegreen
17 – The Woodlands, Dover, DE – Mondegreen
18 – The Woodlands, Dover, DE – Mondegreen
29 – Commerce City, CO – Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
30 – Commerce City, CO – Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
31 – Commerce City, CO – Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
SEPTEMBER
1 – Commerce City, CO – Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
2025
29 – Quintana Roo, Mexico – Phish: Riviera Maya 2025
30 – Quintana Roo, Mexico – Phish: Riviera Maya 2025
31 – Quintana Roo, Mexico – Phish: Riviera Maya 2025
1 – Quintana Roo, Mexico – Phish: Riviera Maya 2025
For more information on Evolve and Phish’s upcoming tour, visit their website here.
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