Peter Gabriel has a specific release plan for his new studio album, i/o, which the legendary musician plans to release in full at some point this year.
So far, he's been releasing new music timed to the lunar calendar, and on Thursday that led to the premiere of "i/o (Dark-Side Mix)," a new version of the album's title track:
Said Peter Gabriel of the song: "In a gentle way, if we can see ourselves as better connected, still messed up individuals, but as part of a whole, then maybe there's something to learn? I can't always get into that state of mind, but when I am, it brings some, if not happiness, then some sense of place and purpose."
As Gabriel has been doing for weeks now, the "Dark-Side Mix" differs from the first version of the song, its corresponding "Bright-Side Mix," which was debuted recently:
And a bit of context for this particular song:
'This month the song is i/o and i/o means input / output. You see it on the back of a lot of electrical equipment and it just triggered some ideas about the stuff we put in and pull out of ourselves, in physical and non-physical ways. That was the starting point of this idea and then trying to talk about the interconnectedness of everything.
The older I get, I probably don't get any smarter, but I have learned a few things and it makes a lot of sense to me that we are not these independent islands that we like to think we are, that we are part of a whole. If we can see ourselves as better connected, still messed up individuals, but as part of a whole, then maybe there's something to learn?'
i/o as a potential album title has long-been known within fan circles, and as we now know is the name of the album and the forthcoming tour, 'it's been around for a long time as a title for this project,' says Peter. 'I always knew I was going to write a song called i/o, but the title came first.'
Here are the other songs that Peter Gabriel has shared in recent weeks from the record:
The new record does not have an official release date yet, though it's expected at some point in 2023.
Peter Gabriel also has an anticipated tour coming up later this year. The updated schedule:
8 September - QUEBEC CITY, Quebec - Videotron Centre 9 September - OTTAWA, Ontario - Canadian Tire Centre 11 September - TORONTO, Ontario - Scotiabank Arena 13 September - MONTREAL, Quebec - Bell Centre 14 September - BOSTON, Massachusetts - TD Garden 16 September - PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania - Wells Fargo Center 18 September - NEW YORK, New York - Madison Square Garden 20 September - WASHINGTON, D.C. - Capital One Arena 22 September - BUFFALO. New York - KeyBank Center 23 September - PITTSBURGH. Pennsylvania - PPG Paints Arena 25 September - COLUMBUS, Ohio - Nationwide Arena 27 September - CLEVELAND, Ohio - Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse 29 September - DETROIT, Michigan - Little Caesars Arena 30 September - CHICAGO, Illinois - United Center 2 October - MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin - Fiserv Forum 3 October - ST. PAUL, Minnesota - Xcel Energy Center 7 October - VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Rogers Arena 8 October - SEATTLE, Washington - Climate Pledge Arena 11 October - SAN FRANCISCO, California - Chase Center 13 October - LOS ANGELES, California - Kia Forum 14 October - PALM SPRINGS, California - Acrisure Arena 16 October - DENVER, Colorado - Ball Arena 18 October - AUSTIN, Texas - Moody Center 19 October - DALLAS, Texas - American Airlines Center 21 October - HOUSTON, Texas - Toyota Center
