After stops in Montreal and Quebec last September with his world tour, where He took the opportunity to play several pieces from his new album, which Peter Gabriel is finally releasing I/O.
The 12 new songs on this tenth album by the 73-year-old British artist, who made a name for himself with Genesis, address, among other things, life and the universe.
Here are 5 things you should know about this important release:
1. Anyone who says full moon says single
Peter Gabriel decided on a special advertising strategy for this new project: he unveiled a new song for each full moon phase. Numerous singles have been released since January 6, 2023, including This Is Home, Olive Tree, So Much, Road to Joy, Four Kinds of Horses, Playing for Time, The Court, Panopticom and Live and Let Live. “After a year of releases, I’m thrilled to see all of these new songs together on the good old ship I/O and ready to travel the world,” the artist shared in a statement.
2. Renowned employees
For this brand new album, Peter Gabriel was able to count on loyal collaborators, including David Rhodes on guitar, Manu Katché on drums, Tony Levin on bass and Brian Eno on electronic effects. The album I/O presents the 12 songs in two versions. The Dark-Side Mix is signed by Tchad Blake and the Bright-Side Mix is signed by Mark “Spike” Stent.
3. Work for more than 20 years
A long process led to this highly anticipated work. Peter Gabriel said he had been working on new songs between shows and projects for almost 20 years. Numerous postponements for various reasons led to a release at the end of 2023.
4. A work of art for every song
Between painting, photography and sculpture, each song is accompanied by a unique work of art created especially for it by a visual artist selected by Peter Gabriel. The game featured names like Nick Cave, Olafur Eliasson, Annette Messager and Cornelia Parker.
5. New songs coming soon?
In an interview with The New York Times, the artist confided that we certainly won’t have to wait another two decades for a new album. “I have a lot of equipment. Of course nothing is finished. But I think it won’t be 21 years until the next one.”
I/O by Peter Gabriel is available from December 1st. For full details click here.