Peter Gabriel's release i/o was his first album of new original material in about 20 years. He released a single each month in 2023, timed with the full moon. Each track included two different mixes — Light-side Mix and Dark-side Mix — and was accompanied by an original piece of art, an idea he first employed on his 1992 album US. The full album finally arrived at the beginning of 2024. The three album special edition had a third mix of each song called The Inside Mix.
His follow-up o\i is being rolled out in the same fashion this year. The first single, Been Undone (dark-side mix), came out January 3rd, timed with the Wolf Supermoon. As with i/o, there will be different mixes for each track, with different engineers for each mix, accompanied by original artwork. The second mix of each song will be released on the new moon of each month.
The music for Been Undone came from a mid '90s demo, Stand, with a more recent chord progression and guitar part. With 50 or so years of demos, he has a lot of ideas from which to pull.
The concept of Been Undone, Gabriel suggests, isn't necessarily as negative as it may sound. People, he says, often learn the most from the difficult times in their lives, making it more about growth than destruction.
Gabriel is joined on o\i by his longtime band mates: bassist Tony Levin, guitarist David Rhodes, and drummer Manu Katche, giving the new tune the familiar sound his fans have come to appreciate.
The accompanying artwork for Been Undone is Ciclotrama 156 (Palindrome) by São Paulo-based artist Janaina Mello Landini, who works with ropes and threads and uses concepts found in physics and mathematics in her art. Gabriel points out the knot represents togetherness in the center, then branches out, becoming undone, but full of opportunity.
We'll be highlighting these songs as we get them over the course of 2026. Check out Open Air, weekdays 9am-3pm on JPR's Rhythm and News Service.
