Soulive Return with “East Side,” New Single from Flowers

Soulive Translate a Live Staple into “East Side,” the Third Single from Their Upcoming Album Flowers

For more than twenty-five years, the Woodstock, New York–formed trio Soulive have carried the flame of the Hammond-organ format for a new generation. Guitarist Eric Krasno, organist Neal Evans, and drummer-producer Alan Evans built their language on feel and economy — three voices locked in, sweat and telepathy with no wasted motion. Back with their first full-length studio album in 15 years, Flowers is slated for release on January 30, 2026 via Flóki Studios. Today, the band unveils the third single off of the record, “East Side.”

“East Side” was the only fully finished song the band brought to the Iceland sessions. Neal had introduced the tune at soundcheck during the first night of their eight-night Blue Note run in 2024, and it has since become a staple in their live sets. Steeped in classic Soulive, the track is an infectious, blues-driven waltz where Neal Evans and Eric Krasno telepathically pass the melody back and forth, riffing on each other’s ideas with the kind of ease that only comes from years of shared stage time. The result is a standout release that will spark nostalgia in longtime fans and delight new listeners.

“It’s become one of our favorite tunes to play live,” says Alan Evans. “We knew as soon as we started recording it, we were going to capture something special. I can still feel and smell the vibe of that day whenever I hear the song. I hope it sparks some similar feelings for people when they listen to it!”

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Across hundreds of shows and a kinetic run of albums, Soulive became a bridge between worlds — jazz clubs, rock stages, hip-hop festivals, late-night DJ sets. Their first recordings — the self-pressed Get Down! (1999), the independent breakthrough Turn It Out (2000), and subsequent Blue Note releases Doin’ Something (2001), Next (2002), and Breakout (2005) — carried the pulse of 1960s soul-jazz into a new century without looking backward. Krasno’s radiant, melodic guitar, Neal’s frothy Hammond tone, and Alan’s unhurried pocket defined the band’s signature sound.

Turn It Out moved real numbers for a young organ trio (around 65,000 copies), signaling that Soulive were more than a cult act. Within a few short years, they were opening arena tours for The Rolling Stones and Dave Matthews Band, cementing their crossover reach while holding strong to jazz-scene credibility.

“We were never chasing anyone else’s thing,” Alan reflects today. “It was always just the three of us seeing where the songs took us.”

Then, quietly, the Soulive train slowed. After Up Here (2009), the Beatles tribute Rubber Soulive (2010), and Spark (2012) — a collaboration with saxophonist-flutist Karl Denson — the group’s only releases were the filmic EPs Cinematics, Vol. 1 (2018) and Vol. 2 (2019): compact, moody sets that hinted at new colors. Their shows narrowed to one-offs and residencies, most famously the multi-night Bowlive runs at Brooklyn Bowl, which became a calling card with rotating guests from Chaka Khan to Derek Trucks.

“I put the brakes on it,” Alan says. “I didn’t want to tour anymore. And then COVID hit, so that took care of that. It just didn’t do it for me anymore.” Neal — his bandmate and brother — agreed. “There’s something to be said about the people — musicians, artists, athletes — who dip out at the right time, and the cats who stay a little too long,” Alan continues. “I wasn’t going to be doing it when I was eighty-five.”

Soulive never broke up; they just went quiet. Krasno turned to songwriting and production. Neal to arranging and texture. Alan to engineering and sound. “There’s so much more that goes into a recording than the gear,” Alan says. “It’s about the environment — your place in space and time at that moment.”

That reconnection took form on Flowers, Soulive’s first full-length album in more than a decade. Tracked at Flóki Studios — a century-old former grocery store on Iceland’s north coast — the sessions pulled the trio out of routine and back into focus. Alan had worked there before with MonoNeon and Oteil Burbridge, drawn to the light and the solitude.

Flóki’s co-founder Wade Koeman built the studio for isolation and inspiration. “Ninety percent of the time, no one’s there,” he says. “You’ve got the midnight sun in summer, the Northern Lights in winter. It’s truly remote.” Inside: vintage analog gear, wide windows, and silence. “Most studios are dark, sealed off,” Alan says. “This one has light pouring in. You look out and there’s the ocean. The room feels alive.”

“There’s just something about the light up there — it’s unreal,” Alan adds. “You see it hit everything differently, and it just changes how you play.” Koeman calls it “light like you’ve never seen before — the sun, the angle, the relationship to the earth.”

And then there are the huldufólk, or “hidden people,” whose presence is woven into daily life in northern Iceland. Koeman explains that Flóki’s team makes daily offerings — a little chocolate, some fruit, a splash of Brennivín — to keep the energy balanced. “When we forget,” he says, “the lights flicker, the computers freeze, or a door handle just falls off. Once we leave an offering, everything works again.” Alan nods. “You can feel it,” he says. “There’s energy in those walls.”

They arrived with fragments and grooves but wrote most of Flowers on the spot. “We’re not super precious about it, man,” Alan says. “If it felt good, we moved on.” They played less and listened more, letting decades of chemistry do the work. “The three of us just fall into place,” he says. “It’s like having a conversation that never ended.”