Peter Gabriel Olive Tree (dark Side Mix)

More than 20 years in the making, this December finally sees the release of i/o, Peter Gabriel’s first album of new material since 2002’s Up. During 2023, Peter has been releasing a new song from the album on the occasion of every full moon. Being revealed roughly every four weeks, each track has been allowed to find its own time and space, to enjoy its own orbit. “It’s a little like getting a Lego piece each month,” Peter explains.

I/O (typeset as i/o) is the tenth studio album[a] by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, released on 1 December 2023 through Real World Records. It is Gabriel's first album of new original material in over 21 years since Up (2002), marking the longest gap between two studio albums in his solo career. Additionally, I/O is his longest studio album to date. I/O had been in the works for nearly three decades, with its initial production dating back to 1995, at around the same time Gabriel began recording Up. He began planning the follow-up to Up as early as 2000 and had originally intended to release it in 2004, but the album was repeatedly delayed, reworked and re-recorded at seven recording studios (and one arena during soundchecks while on tour with Sting in 2016) before its completion in 2022. This was due to Gabriel focusing on other projects such as his two orchestral albums Scratch My Back (2010) and New Blood (2011), which contained covers of songs by other artists and rearrangements of his older material, respectively. Beginning in January 2023, Gabriel released a new single every full moon, with its alternate mix released on the following new moon, eventually culminating in the album's release at the end of the year; this replicates the 2010 double-sided single releases in promotion of And I'll Scratch Yours (2013). He has stated that he will release more songs in this format following the album's release. I/O received positive reviews from music critics, with praise being particularly directed towards Gabriel's vocals and songwriting.

Peter Gabriel has been working on i/o—shorthand for input/output—for 20 years now, reworking and re-recording and workshopping songs on the road. The final result is a sprawling head trip: two albums of the same songs mixed differently by, Gabriel has said, "two of the world's best mix engineers." Spike Stent (Ed Sheeran, Björk, Madonna) handles the so-called "Bright Side" and Tchad Blake (Sheryl Crow, Fiona Apple, the Black Keys) is the "Dark Side." Comparing the two can feel like an Easter-egg hunt; choosing an overall favorite is hard and the best bet here may be to make a personal playlist combo.

Peter Gabriel has been working on i/o—shorthand for input/output—for 20 years now, reworking and re-recording and workshopping songs on the road. The final result is a sprawling head trip: two albums of the same songs mixed differently by, Gabriel has said, "two of the world's best mix engineers." Spike Stent (Ed Sheeran, Björk, Madonna) handles the so-called "Bright Side" and Tchad Blake (Sheryl Crow, Fiona Apple, the Black Keys) is the "Dark Side." Comparing the two can feel like an Easter-egg hunt; choosing an overall favorite is hard and the best bet here may be to make a personal playlist combo.

I/O (typeset as i/o) is the tenth studio album[a] by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, released on 1 December 2023 through Real World Records. It is Gabriel's first album of new original material in over 21 years since Up (2002), marking the longest gap between two studio albums in his solo career. Additionally, I/O is his longest studio album to date. I/O had been in the works for nearly three decades, with its initial production dating back to 1995, at around the same time Gabriel began recording Up. He began planning the follow-up to Up as early as 2000 and had originally intended to release it in 2004, but the album was repeatedly delayed, reworked and re-recorded at seven recording studios (and one arena during soundchecks while on tour with Sting in 2016) before its completion in 2022. This was due to Gabriel focusing on other projects such as his two orchestral albums Scratch My Back (2010) and New Blood (2011), which contained covers of songs by other artists and rearrangements of his older material, respectively.

I/O (typeset as i/o) is the tenth studio album[a] by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, released on 1 December 2023 through Real World Records. It is Gabriel's first album of new original material in over 21 years since Up (2002), marking the longest gap between two studio albums in his solo career. Additionally, I/O is his longest studio album to date. I/O had been in the works for nearly three decades, with its initial production dating back to 1995, at around the same time Gabriel began recording Up. He began planning the follow-up to Up as early as 2000 and had originally intended to release it in 2004, but the album was repeatedly delayed, reworked and re-recorded at seven recording studios (and one arena during soundchecks while on tour with Sting in 2016) before its completion in 2022. This was due to Gabriel focusing on other projects such as his two orchestral albums Scratch My Back (2010) and New Blood (2011), which contained covers of songs by other artists and rearrangements of his older material, respectively.