Fishbone have announced a self-titled EP will arrive on May 26 to celebrate the band's 40th anniversary. Fishbone was produced by Fat Mike, singer/founder of NOFX and longtime friend of the band, under his label Bottles to the Ground.
"Fishbone is the one band I've always wanted to produce ever since NOFX toured with them in 1992," Fat Mike shared in a release. "When I got the chance two years ago... I fucking gave it everything I got! I fucking love this band so much as friends and musicians, but I may like this record even more! I thank all of them for the opportunity."
Fishbone is the ska-punk band's first release in six years and features the return of two of the band's original members: keyboardist/vocalist Chris Dowd and trumpeter/vocalist "Dirty Walt" Kibby, making this the closest to the original Fishbone lineup seen in decades, with four of the six original members present.
Bassist and co-founder Norwood Fisher revealed that the band handed over the song selection to Fat Mike, symbolizing the strong relationship between band and producer. The EP's state-of-the-world theme came out of Fat Mike's awareness of the band's need to make a strong statement.
The band show off their timelessness in the two songs that preview their forthcoming EP. Previously released "All We Have Is Now" is a ska classic about living in the moment, while new single "Estranged Fruit," a rework of the 1939 classic Billie Holiday song "Strange Fruit," is an emotive composition about time repeating itself.
"'Estranged Fruit' is a timeless composition merging the past and present embodied by the irony of us repeating what should be in the rearview mirror of a so-called evolved society that still has far to go," Dowd said in a statement.
Listen to "Estranged Fruit" below, where you can also revisit the music video for "All We Have Is Now."
