Peter Gabriel announces new single and album

To celebrate the first full moon of the year tomorrow (January 3), Peter Gabriel will release the first single from his new album oi – the follow-up to 2023’s i/o.

“Been Undone” was written and produced by Peter Gabriel and recorded at Real World Studios, Bath and The Beehive in London. Listen to the Dark-Side Mix by Tchad Blake from midnight here or below:

New songs from oi will be released on subsequent full moons, revealing the whole album at the end of the year. As with i/o, each song will come with differing interpretations in the shape of Dark-Side and Bright-Side mixes, by Tchad Blake and Mark ‘Spike’ Stent respectively.

“The songs are a mix of thoughts and feelings,” says Gabriel. “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.

“These are my lumpy bits – i/o: the inside has a new way out and oi: the outside has a new way in. We are not, and have never been, the exclusively self-determining, independent beings that have been given the run of the world. We are something else, a part of nature, a part of everything and feeling a connection, shaking our booty and giving and receiving some love can help us find our place – and put a big smile on our faces. Some of these songs are going to form part of the brain project that I’ve been exploring for a number of years, and some just make me feel happy. I hope you like them.”

As with i/o, each track on the new album will be accompanied by a piece of art – in this case, Ciclotrama 156 (Palindrome) by São Paulo–based artist Janaina Mello Landini. “The way she takes the rope and moves it out, unravelling it, is almost like fractals or tree trunks and looks like the brain in some ways too, so I see a lot of entry points,” says Gabriel.

“I am delighted that Janaina is willing to participate and be part of the process. We are using one of her existing images for this month to open the whole proceedings but I’m excited that she’s now going to create a piece, especially for the song. That always gives it a little more excitement from my end to see what’s going to come up. Please do check out her work.”