I/O (Peter Gabriel album)

After the Secret World tour, Gabriel spent much of the 1990s writing new material, reportedly writing over 130 songs, of which ten were selected for 2002's Up.[1] In 2002, he said that a follow-up album, tentatively titled i/o (also an early name for Up), was scheduled to release sometime in 2003 or 2004.[2][3] However, the Growing Up and Still Growing Up tours from 2002 to 2004, as well as Gabriel starting new projects entirely, pushed i/o far ahead.

According to a Rolling Stone magazine article from 2005, Gabriel had 150 songs in various stages, which he had been working on with engineer Richard Chappell and percussionist Ged Lynch. Gabriel said he was "trying to write principally about birth and death, with the sex in the middle." In the interview, he discussed the idea of touring before recording and releasing the album, as well as a possible tour with just himself, a percussionist and bassist.[4] Gabriel soon shifted focus towards 2010's Scratch My Back and 2011's New Blood.

In March 2012, Gabriel announced that he had been working on twelve song ideas.[5] In a 2013 interview with Rolling Stone, he mentioned that he had twenty songs in the works, saying "It probably hasn't moved nearly as much as I would have liked to in the intervening time. The songs are still there, but some of them I would redo now and there's some new stuff as well."[6] During the Back to Front Tour, Gabriel on piano and Tony Levin on bass performed a song entitled "Daddy Long Legs" (this song would be later be released under the name "Playing For Time")[7][8]

In 2014, Gabriel revealed he was working on some dance-oriented songs because "it's very easy for me to fall into some moody stuff."[9] He revealed in 2014 that he was working on a song called "Here Comes Love," as well as a song with the working title of "In and Out" (which would later be renamed to the album's title track "i/o").[10] In an Italy show, he performed another unreleased song called "What Lies Ahead." Throughout 2014 and 2015, Gabriel posted consistently on social media about working on the new album alongside Ged Lynch and Richard Chappell.[11] On the 2016 tour with Sting, he rehearsed four unreleased songs. In March 2018, Gabriel posted on his Facebook that the new album was in the "comping" stage.[10]

In April 2019, Gabriel mentioned that he had taken a break from music to care for his then-ill wife but returned once she had fully recovered. He said he was working on about 50 ideas, with the intention of finishing the songs by the end of 2019 to record early next year.[12] In March 2020, Gabriel revealed he was working on a song about aging, called "So Much."[13] In July 2020, Gabriel said, "I'm excited by what is being cooked at the moment – I have been slowed down quite a lot by lockdown, we've not been able to have Dickie my engineer here – but I have enough songs that I like to make a record I'm proud of."[14][15]

In October 2021, Gabriel said that he and his band had recently worked on 17 songs in the studio.[16] Later in the month, he mentioned that he had been in the studio two weeks ago, recording 23 songs alongside his "usual" band.[17] Throughout the following year, Gabriel posted to social media a series of photos containing himself, Manu Katché, Tony Levin, and David Rhodes in the recording studio.[18][19] In June 2022, Katché said that the album was nearly complete.[20][21][22]

In late 2022, Gabriel formally announced that after almost 20 years of anticipation, he was ready to release a new album and was organizing his team to start touring with the new music. i/o the Tour will cover locations in Europe and North America throughout 2023.[23][24] Gabriel has stated that he has 20 possible songs for the album.[25] Not only does i/o stand for "input/output", but it is also the name of a moon of Jupiter.[26]

Gabriel announced on January 9 that he would be releasing singles from the album on each full moon, and would continue in this release format if he has enough stamina to keep up.[27][25] He is also releasing alternate mixes for each track to distinguish the mixing engineer.[28] Gabriel said, "Rather than choosing only one of their mixes to release, I have decided that people should be able to hear all the great work that they are both doing."[29] Mark 'Spike' Stent's mixes are the 'Bright-Side Mix', while Tchad Blake's mixes are the 'Dark-Side Mix'.[29][30] All the songs have each also received a third alternate mix in Dolby Atmos, called an 'In-Side Mix', by Hans-Martin Buff.[31][32]

Every piece will be accompanied by a bespoke piece of art, similarly to the way Us did in 1992. Gabriel has said that the album, "to his ears," sounds "very different" track by track.[25]

The first single to be released from the album was "Panopticom", on the Wolf Moon, January 6, 2023. This was followed by "The Court" on the Snow Moon, "Playing For Time" on the Worm Moon, "i/o" on the Pink Moon, and "Four Kinds of Horses" on the Flower Moon.[33][34][35][36]

Gabriel also revealed that "Love Can Heal" and "Live and Let Live" are slated to appear on the album.[26][37] In a May 2023 newsletter message, Gabriel revealed the name of another title, Road To Joy to be part of the album. [38]

The sixth piece on the album will be released on June 4, the Strawberry Moon.