Peter Gabriel announces December 1 release for new studio album i/o

Peter Gabriel studio portrait — (Image credit: Nadav Kander)

Peter Gabriel has finally announced that he will release a physical version of his new solo album, i/o, through Real World Records on December 1.

Gabriel has taken the unusual step of previously releasing all of the album's twelve tracks as stand-alone videos with various mixes and unique artwork from a variety of artists, in addition to performing them all live on is recent European and US tour dates.

"After a years-worth of full moon releases, I’m very happy to see all these new songs back together on the good ship i/o and ready for their journey out into the world," says Gabriel.

i/o is released as two stereo mixes: the Bright-Side Mix, handled by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent, and the Dark-Side Mix, as reshaped by Tchad Blak. A third mix, the Dolby Atmos In-Side Mix, is included in a three-disc set.

“We have two of the greatest mixers in the world in Tchad and Spike and they definitely bring different characters to the songs," Gabriel adds. "Tchad is very much a sculptor building a journey with sound and drama, Spike loves sound and assembling these pictures, so he’s more of a painter."

Gabriel's core backing band of guitarist David Rhodes, bassist Tony Levin and drummer Manu Katché feature on an album that also sees him collaborating with the likes of Brian Eno, pianist Tom Cawley, trumpeters Josh Shpak and Paolo Fresu, cellist Linnea Olsson and keyboard player Don E, while Gabriel's daughter Melanie provides backing vocals.

i/o will be released on vinyl as a 2 LP Bright Side Mix and 2 LP Dark Side mix, as a 2 CD set featuring both mixes, a 2 CD and Blu-ray set featuring both mixes plus the In-Side mix. A 4 LP, 2 CD and Blu-ray box set, which comes in a casebound book with expanded liner notes and a poster, will be released on March 8. You can see the new album artwork and tracklisting below.

Pre-order i/o.

Peter Gabriel: i/o
1. Panopticom
2. The Court
3. Playing For Time
4. i/o
5. Four Kinds Of Horses
6. Road To Joy
7. So Much
8. Olive Tree
9. Love Can Heal
10. This is Home
11. And Still
12. This is Home

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.