I/O (album)

For Up, Gabriel reportedly had over 130 songs in various stages, of which ten were selected for the album.[6] He said that a follow-up album from this material, tentatively titled I/O (also an early name for Up), was intended to be completed by 2004.[7][8] However, the Growing Up and Still Growing Up tours over the next three years, as well as Gabriel starting new projects entirely, pushed this date far ahead. In 2005, Gabriel reportedly had a pool of 150 songs, 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.[1][9] Gabriel soon shifted focus towards 2010's Scratch My Back and 2011's New Blood.

In a 2013 interview with Rolling Stone, Gabriel 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."[10] During the Back to Front Tour, Gabriel performed a song entitled "Daddy Long Legs" that would eventually become the third single from i/o, "Playing for Time".[11][12] Throughout 2014 and 2015, Gabriel posted consistently on social media about working on the new album alongside Chappell and Lynch.[13] Gabriel stated in a 2014 interview that he was working on more upbeat material because "it's very easy for me to fall into some moody stuff."[14] He also revealed that he was working on songs called "Here Comes Love" and "In and Out." The latter eventually became the album's title track, "I/O".[1] He debuted the song "What Lies Ahead" during a live show in Italy. On the 2016 Rock Paper Scissors tour with Sting, he performed the song "Love Can Heal", and additionally rehearsed new songs "Rock Paper Scissors" and "Radio Everyone".[1]

After a break from music for a few years in order to care for his then-ill wife, Gabriel returned to work on the album in 2019. Gabriel said he was working on about 50 ideas, with the intention of finishing the songs by the end of the year.[15] In 2020, Gabriel mentioned a song about aging called "So Much".[16] In July, he said that he had been "slowed down quite a lot by lockdown" but that he had "enough songs that I like to make a record I'm proud of."[17][18]

From September to October 2021, Gabriel recorded the first band material for i/o in Real World Studios, alongside drummer Manu Katché, bassist Tony Levin and guitarist David Rhodes. They reportedly recorded 23 songs.[19][20] Throughout the following year, Gabriel posted to social media a series of photos from these full band recording sessions.[21][22] Brian Eno also played a large part, contributing production, synthesizers and rhythm programming, electronics and sound design throughout the album. Other notable musicians include Gabriel's daughter Melanie, who has contributed backing vocals since Up, and engineer Richard Chappell, who has worked at Real World since 1987.[7] In June 2022, Katché said that the album was nearly complete.[23][24][25] Gabriel has said that the album, "to his ears," sounds "very different" track by track.[26]

Both Mark 'Spike' Stent and Tchad Blake contributed a mix of each song from I/O. 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."[27] Stent's mixes are released as the 'Bright-Side Mix', while Blake's mixes are the 'Dark-Side Mix'.[27][28] All the songs have each also received a third alternate mix in Dolby Atmos, called an 'In-Side Mix', by Hans-Martin Buff.[29][30]

In November 2022, Gabriel formally announced that after almost 20 years of anticipation, he was ready to release the album I/O, and tour with the new music. Not only does I/O stand for "input/output", but it is also the name of a moon of Jupiter.[31] i/o The Tour will cover locations in Europe and North America throughout 2023.[32][33][34]

Gabriel announced on 9 January 2023 that he would be releasing singles from the album on each full moon, and the alternate mix (either 'Bright-Side' or 'Dark-Side') along with the In-Side mix every new moon. He has since stated that he might continue in this release format if he has enough stamina to keep up.[35][36][26] Gabriel has stated that a little over twenty songs were in consideration for inclusion on the final album.[26]

Every piece will be accompanied by a bespoke piece of art (as chosen by Peter Gabriel), similarly to the way Us did in 1992, and Up did in 2002. The artists he has collaborated with are Ai Weiwei, Nick Cave, Barthélémy Toguo, Olafur Eliasson, Annette Messager, Antony Micallef, Henry Hudson, Megan Rooney, Cornelia Parker,Tim Shaw, David Spriggs and David Moreno.

The first single to be released from the album was "Panopticom", on the Wolf Moon, 6 January 2023. This was followed by "The Court" on the Snow Moon, "Playing for Time" on the Worm Moon, "I/O" on the Pink Moon, "Four Kinds of Horses" on the Flower Moon, "Road to Joy" on the Strawberry Moon, "So Much" on the Buck Moon, "Olive Tree" on the Sturgeon Moon, and "Love Can Heal" on the Blue Moon.[37][38][39][40] "This Is Home" was released on September 29, the Harvest Moon.[41] "And Still" will be released on October 27, the Hunter's Moon, meaning "Live and Let Live" will be released on November 27, the Beaver Moon.[42]

On I/O The Tour, Gabriel has performed every song from the album, as well as "What Lies Ahead", a song that was considered for the album but was ultimately dropped, although it might be part of those pieces that may be released in 2024.[43][44]

On 28 July 2023, a listening session of I/O took place at WOMAD, revealing the track listing of the vinyl version.[45] All digital formats stick to the single release pattern.[46]

On 14 October 2023, Gabriel revealed the album's cover art, shot by photographer Nadav Kander, and announced a physical release of the album slated for December 2023.[2] Four days later, it was announced that the album will be released on 1 December.[3] The physical editions of the album will include both the Bright-Side and Dark-Side mixes in varying forms: a two-CD edition with one mix on each disc, a two-CD plus Blu-ray edition that adds the In-Side mix, and two separate vinyl editions, each one featuring a different mix across two LPs. A deluxe edition is due for release in 2024, featuring the contents of the CD, vinyl, and Blu-ray editions, while also including a large format book with extended liner notes and large format art prints and a poster. All physical releases of the album sport an Obi strip showing Peter Gabriel's signature.[47]