Peter Gabriel returns with new material from “o/i” with “Till Your Mind Is Shining (Dark-Side Mix)”, the fourth single taken from the project. For now only the radio edit is available, while the Bright-Side Mix, helmed by Mark “Spike” Stent, will arrive in the coming days, timed to coincide with the new moon.
The track was born from a chord progression that Gabriel himself describes as direct and light, among the most accessible on the entire record. In his view, it's probably the track closest to a pop form, also because of its more open, immediate tone compared to other pieces on the album.
The song's origins date back to a much earlier phase of his career, before Genesis even existed: a period when Gabriel was moving between pop, soul and r&b with the idea of developing a more personal, author-driven style of writing. As often happens in his method, the track was left to sit for a long time, picked up again only once it still retained its own expressive urgency.
Listen to "Till Your Mind Is Shining (Dark-Side Mix)" below.
Thematically, "Till Your Mind Is Shining" fits into the reflective arc running through the whole album. The lyrics explore the idea of mental openness and the exploration of consciousness, with a gaze that also takes in non-human forms of sensitivity. The stated aim is to better understand the relationship between the individual and the world, while holding on to a tension toward responsibility and compassion.
The single's visual component comes courtesy of Japanese artist Tatsuo Miyajima, creator of the piece "Warp Time With Warp Self, No.2". The work combines a rigorous structure with a more introspective dimension, reflecting the contrast between data, time and space, and an inward search that remains central to the music as well.
The new single continues a line already traced out by "What Lies Ahead", an earlier track also born out of collaboration with Brian Eno. In that case, Gabriel worked with choirs and orchestral arrangements to evoke a spiritual dimension, tied to the possibility of sensing something beyond immediate experience.
The English musician's new record project arrives as a direct follow-up to “i/o” (2023) and picks up its conceptual framework: once again, Gabriel will release a track with every full moon, building toward the release of the complete album by the end of the year.
Presenting the album, Gabriel stated: “I'm happy to say that tonight, with the full moon, we begin a new year of monthly releases under the name 'o/i'. The songs are a collection of thoughts and feelings. I've been thinking a lot about the future and how we might respond: we're entering an unprecedented period of transition, probably triggered by three main waves, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and the brain-computer interface. Artists have the job of looking into the fog and, when they catch a glimpse of something, holding up a mirror. We are not, and never have been, fully self-determined, independent beings given free rein over the world. We are something else, we are part of nature, part of everything, and feeling some kind of connection, moving our backsides and giving and receiving a bit of love can help us find our place, and put a nice smile on our faces,” Gabriel added.
The English composer has summed up the relationship between the two albums as a kind of complementary diptych: “i/o” represents “the inside finding a new way out”, while “o/i” is “the outside discovering a new way in”. It's a reflection that extends into a less individualistic vision of humanity, seen as an integral part of nature and of a larger whole, where emotional and physical connection becomes a tool for finding one's place.
Some of the new songs, he added, will feed into the “brain project” Gabriel has been working on for years, while others simply come from a desire to spread joy. “I hope you like them,” he concluded.
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This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by OndaRock Staff, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.