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Peter Gabriel / New studio album o/i

“The outside has a new way in”

By Jamie Atkins

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Peter Gabriel / o/i new album

4CD or two 2LP sets • No physical release of Dolby Atmos mix

Peter Gabriel has announced a new studio album, o/i, to be released in November.  

As the name suggests, o/i is a companion piece to 2023’s i/o. Ten of the new album’s 13 tracks have already been released as digital singles this year as part of Gabriel’s ‘full moon’ project (a video message and new track each full moon). ‘Who Are We Talking To?’, ‘Yes, It Will Go On’ and ‘Sacrament’ have yet to be released, though fans have speculated that ‘Who Are We Talking To?’ is a new version of ‘Radio Everyone’, a 2015 song composed for a United Nations campaign.

Like its predecessor, o/i is available in two mixes – ‘Bright-Side’ (mixed by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent) and ‘Dark-Side’ (mixed by Tchad Blake, with the exception of ‘Who Are We Talking To?’, which is mixed by Mike Elizondo). The 4CD set features both mixes (as with the last album, you cannot buy either separately on CD) while ‘Bright-Side’ and ‘Dark-Side’ are currently only available on vinyl as separate 2LP sets.

At the time of writing, there are four variants of each of the 2LP sets. ‘Bright-Side’ will be available on either black, opaque green, neon green or translucent green vinyl. ‘Dark-Side’ will be out on either black, neon pink, neon vinyl or translucent purple vinyl.

Following his Grammy win for the Dolby Atmos of i/o, Hans-Martin Buff is again responsible for the Atmos mix (aka the ‘Inside-Mix’) which will be available digitally, though no physical release has been announced. i/o was released as a 2CD+blu-ray edition and later, a box set including both mixes on CD and vinyl, plus the Atmos mix on Blu-ray, but there’s no such set scheduled for o/i at the moment.

“This record has been more of a marathon than a sprint,” says Gabriel. “It’s the longest album I have ever put out with 13 tracks that complete the i/o / o\i 25-track joint project.” Indications from streaming sites suggest the album is 82 minutes long, too long to fit on a single CD, which explains the 4CD set. If it’s a bit disappointing having to buy four CDs to own both mixes of the album, the pricing is good and the packaging sounds better than the flimsy, spine-crushing 2CD+blu-ray of i/o, because the o/i 4CD is described as a “hardcover book” edition (let’s hope that’s accurate).

4CD set features both Bright-Side and Dark-Side mixes.

“The songs are a mix of thoughts and feelings,” Gabriel goes on. “I have been thinking about the future and how we might respond to it. We are sliding into a period of transition like no other, most likely triggered in three waves; AI, quantum computing and the brain computer interface. Artists have a role to look into the mists and, when they catch sight of something, to hold up a mirror.


“We are not, and have never been, the exclusively self-determining, independent beings that we imagine we are. We have had a sense of entitlement that everything exists for our benefit – that we’ve been given the run of the world to exploit as we see fit.

“We are something else, a part of nature, a part of everything and when we feel that connection, shake our booty and give and receive a little love, it can help us find our proper place – and put a big smile on our faces. “This is how I see the lumpy bits – i/o: the inside has a new way out and o\i: the outside has a new way in.”

o/i is out on 27 November via Real World.

Compare prices and pre-order

Peter Gabriel

4CD hardcover book edition

Shop Price gbp Stock
Amazon uk   24.99 Pre-Order
Amazon ca   34.99 Pre-Order
JPC de   26.99 Pre-Order
Rough Trade uk   22.99 pre-order
Rough Trade usa   39.99 pre-order
Currency:

Compare prices and pre-order

Peter Gabriel

Bright-Side Mix on 2LP black vinyl

Shop Price gbp Stock
Amazon uk   37.99 Pre-Order
Amazon ca   54.99 Pre-Order
JPC de   39.99 Pre-Order
Rough Trade uk   39.99 neon green vinyl
Rough Trade usa   56.99 neon green vinyl
Currency:

Compare prices and pre-order

Peter Gabriel

Dark-side Mix on 2LP black vinyl

Shop Price gbp Stock
Amazon uk   37.99 Pre-Order
Amazon ca   54.99 Pre-Order
JPC de   39.99 Pre-Order
Rough Trade uk   39.99 neon pink vinyl
Rough Trade usa   56.99 neon purple vinyl
Currency:

Tracklisting

o/i Peter Gabriel /

    • CD 1
      1. Been Undone (Bright-Side Mix)
      2. Put the Bucket Down (Bright-Side Mix)
      3. What Lies Ahead (Bright-Side Mix)
      4. Till Your Mind Is Shining (Bright-Side Mix)
      5. Won’t Stand Down (Bright-Side Mix)
      6. Who Are We Taking To? (Bright-Side Mix)
      7. Yes, It Will Go (Bright-Side Mix)
      8. One by One (Bright-Side Mix)
    • CD 2
      1. A Hard Lesson (Bright-Side Mix)
      2. Face the Wall (Bright-Side Mix)
      3. I Belong to the Sky (Bright-Side Mix)
      4. Looking for the Happy (Bright-Side Mix)
      5. Sacrament (Bright-Side Mix)
    • CD 3
      1. Been Undone (Dark-Side Mix)
      2. Put the Bucket Down (Dark-Side Mix)
      3. What Lies Ahead (Dark-Side Mix)
      4. Till Your Mind Is Shining (Dark-Side Mix)
      5. Won’t Stand Down (Dark-Side Mix)
      6. Who Are We Taking To? (Dark-Side Mix)
      7. Yes, It Will Go (Dark-Side Mix)
      8. One by One (Dark-Side Mix)
    • CD 4
      1. Hard Lesson (Dark-Side Mix)
      2. Face the Wall (Dark-Side Mix)
      3. I Belong to the Sky (Dark-Side Mix)
      4. Looking for the Happy (Dark-Side Mix)
      5. Sacrament (Dark-Side Mix)

       

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