Peter Gabriel does more than denounce convention, he seeks to redefine it. His kaleidoscope view of the world allows him to craft otherworldly arrangements that sit perfectly under his dark vocals and multi-faceted songwriting. Throughout his career, Gabriel has explored every corner of pop music and emerges with a refreshing viewpoint on tropes from music’s future and past. Gabriel is a few decades into his career and his lust for the unpredictable has yet to fail yet his 2023 was set to a tight schedule. Throughout the year, Gabriel would release a new song on every full moon and those 12 tracks are being packaged and presented as i/o. The double LP will mark Gabriel’s first album of new material in over 20 years with each song getting two mixes. The album is split between a “Dark-Side Mix” and a “Bright-Side Mix”, each one focusing on a different nuance to bring new life to the 12 songs.
Gabriel is a veteran in every sense of the word, and it shows on his latest outing. His voice has aged like a fine wine, it carries the weight of years of experience yet still sounds fresh and warm. i/o is an exercise in duality and not just between the two mixes. Gabriel’s lyrics find optimism and beauty in a world on fire as his balladry is mixed with subtle pageantry on each mix. The differences between the two are more subtle, forcing the listener to pay closer attention to every note. In a world of playlists and surface-level artistry, Gabriel wanted to go deeper. Each mix emphasizes a different instrument or melody that evokes a completely different feeling. This attention to detail paid off gorgeously on i/o, the Dark-Side Mix puts a heavy emphasis on drums and the string sections to evoke an eerie feeling while the Bright-Side Mix allows the guitar strumming and vocals to soar.
Underneath the creative roll-out and different mixes are beautifully penned songs that sit on top of an array of tones and emotions. By taking his time with this record it allowed each song to slowly evolve into technicolored explosions of sentimental lyrics and unpredictable arrangements. The album jumps from bouncy orchestrations that jump out of the speakers like “Road to Joy” only for a thick layer of humility and reality to drape over the room like on the somber “So Much”. Despite this, i/o never feels inconsistent, Gabriel is able to string the varying tones together by wearing his heart on his sleeve regardless of what he is feeling at the moment. These long-form ballads take shape on their own time, the album is in no rush and should be listened to with immense care to truly digest the widely imaginative world of i/o.
Peter Gabriel finds solace in vulnerability on i/o. The artist pieces together his views of the world for heartfelt songwriting that explores the many moving parts of the world as he provides unfiltered commentary over stunning arrangements. It is utterly mesmerizing that Gabriel can still find new and unique ways to present his art to the world and the double mixes of this album only add to the nuanced mystique of his approach. Dark-Side or Bright-Side, these 12 songs are full-body experiences with cascading melodies that pull you in every direction. i/o cements Gabriel as one of the most innovative and daring artists of his time.
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I could not have said it better myself… <3