The New Deal have surprised fans with a full new album release today, sharing Phoenix as the first installment of what the trio says will be a series dubbed 'The Asylum Sessions' and marking the group's first album in three years (and first since announcing a new lineup earlier this year).
Phoenix is made up of three multi-part compositions, "Grasping Thin Air" (Intro and Pts. II-V), "Dorado III" (Pts. I-III) and "Machina Electrica" (Pts. I-IV). As the band—which now comprises founding members Dan Kurtz (bass) and Jamie Shields (keys) along with drummer Davide Di Renzo)—notes, the new album was recorded live at Kurtz's Asylum studio.
"Over time we managed to compile close to sixty hours of improvised music and when we first started listening back to these sessions we all realized that we had something very special to share with our fans and fellow music lovers," Shields writes in a statement announcing the new album. "Phoenix is but a very small drop in a very big bucket of music that The New Deal is preparing to share with the world."
"Playing music with Davide has been a revelation, to say the least," Shields continues. "When the three of us are on stage I feel completely free and open to exploring any musical ideas that may materialize. Our mantra has always been to 'let it all hang out' but sometimes that’s easier said than done. In the past I have found that thinking too much about what’s happening on stage inhibits my musical flow. With Davide behind the kit I can honestly say that I’ve never found myself 'thinking' about anything while we play. It has been a complete communion of musical minds that has resulted in some of the best music that I’ve been a part of in The New Deal."
Listen to Phoenix below and read Shields' full statement. Next up for The New Deal is an Oct. 4 show in Saratoga Springs, NY. Check out their full schedule here.
