Dark-Side and Bright-Side Mix 2LP
“It would work perfectly as a grand finale. i/o is so rich in ideas, you hope it won’t have to.”
– 4/5 The Guardian
“A sublime and long-awaited return. It’s great to have Gabriel back.”
– 4/5 The Independent
“The writing is key…that sonorous voice and chord sequences of extraordinary emotional heft combine to devastating effect.”
– ‘Album of The Week’ – 4/5, The Sunday Times
“Big hooks, big choruses, big juicy bass lines and very big themes. Peter Gabriel’s cracker is worth the wait.”
– 5/5, Mail on Sunday
“There are songs here that are equal of ‘Solsbury Hill’ or ‘Sledgehammer.’”
– 8/10, Uncut
“Substantive… deeply considered.” – 4/5, MOJO
“Gabriel’s most consistent and cohesive post-80s record and the most philosophical of his life.”
– Classic Rock
“i/o is an impeccable reawakening.” – 4/5, Record Collector
“Gabriel’s best pure pop moment since ‘Sledgehammer’.” – 4/5, Rolling Stone UK
“He can still write songs that turn the head and stir the heart. Reasserts his place as the doyen of cerebral art-pop.”
– Prog magazine
“He has few peers in rendering the spiritual power of the mind-body-earth connection.”
– 4/5, The Arts Desk
“Another Gabriel masterpiece.”
– Louder Than War
Today, Friday 1 December, following a year in which Peter has released a new song each full moon, as well as performed live to rapturous audiences throughout the UK, Europe and North America, sees the release of his much-anticipated new studio album, i/o.
2CD / 2CD+BR / 2LP Bright-Side / 2LP Dark-Side – out now
12 tracks of grace, gravity and great beauty that provide welcome confirmation of not only Peter’s ongoing ability to write stop-you-in-your-tracks songs but also of that thrilling voice, still perfectly, delightfully intact. Throughout the album the intelligent and thoughtful – often thought-provoking – songs tackle life and the universe. Our connection to the world around us – ‘I’m just a part of everything’ Peter sings on title track i/o – is a recurring motif, but so too the passing of time, mortality and grief, alongside such themes as injustice, surveillance and the roots of terrorism. But this is not a solemn record. While reflective, the mood is never despondent; i/o is musically adventurous, often joyous and ultimately full of hope, topped off as it is, by the rousingly optimistic closing song, Live and Let Live.
Continuing the idea developed for Peter’s US and UP albums, he has again invited a range of visual artists to contribute a piece of art to accompany the music and each of i/o’s 12 songs were handed to a world-renowned artist to create an accompanying work, whether paint, photography, sculpture or even Plasticine. The dozen artists make an exceedingly impressive team of collaborators: Ai Weiwei, Nick Cave, Olafur Eliasson, Henry Hudson, Annette Messager, Antony Micallef, David Moreno, Cornelia Parker, Megan Rooney, Tim Shaw, David Spriggs and Barthélémy Toguo.
Another visual link with Peter’s past work is the cover shot. Taken by photographer Nadav Kander, it echoes with the covers of his earlier albums, always present but, with the exception of So, intriguingly obscured or manipulated.
These echoes of the past might resonate, but i/o is fundamentally an album of – and for – the here and now.