Peter Gabriel Releases New Song, “Been Undone (Dark Side Mix),” Announces New LP ‘o/i’

After waiting 21 years between albums of new material, specifically 2002’s Up and 2023’s  i/o, Peter Gabriel has returned only three years later with a new song, “Been Undone (Dark Side Mix).” The new song is from what appears to be a companion album to i/o, entitled creatively, o/i. Gabriel, on his last album had two different producers mix the record, hence each song received a “Dark Side Mix” and a “Bright Side Mix.” It appears this album will be exactly the same, or so it seems. 

Gabriel’s release schedule on this album appears to be the same as it was on the last one. Specifically, last time around he released a new song on each full moon in the calendar year of 2023. Just like that album, he released “Been Undone (Dark Side Mix)” on January 3rd this year, which happened to be the first full moon of 2026. There will be 13 full moons in ’26 which is rare.

I don’t know if the material he’s going to release for o/I (I can’t get the lower case on this “I” to work) was recorded at the same time he recorded i/o but considering it took 21 years, that might be a good bet. Or it could be new stuff, with Gabriel we just don’t know. Why he didn’t just release this as a double album in ’23 is anybody’s guess… it was probably the damn record company suits’ decision? But maybe I’m the only one who loves double albums. 

I wrote, about Gabriel’s last album, that it was mature rock n roll, tackling adult subjects. He’s not singing about hot girls in fast cars here. He sings about mortality and interconnectedness of all of us. “Been Undone (Dark Side Mix)” continues that vein of thought. Gabriel starts the murky, mid tempo  track with the words “By the heating of the sun, by the sound of a gun, I’ve been undone.” Gabriel seems to be singing about the growth that can come from tragedy or transition. Wish I’d heard this song in my 20s. Maybe he just means that when bad stuff happens to someone, you’re not alone. A sentiment we need these days as empathy has largely died. 

Here’s a snippet of the track:

I love the part where he sings, “And I need more information, I need to know what’s going on, And I need this information now, So I don’t go wrong, go wrong, go wrong.” This is, like the last album, a late night, rumination by the fire with a tumbler of dark and murky fluid and that is a very good thing. Not every song has to be “Panama.” 

I likely won’t be writing every full moon about each song that comes out on this upcoming album. Although I’ll certainly be paying better attention than I did for i/o. I look forward to any music we can get from a mad genius like Peter Gabriel. 

I think this year may turn out to be rather interesting in that we had bands who went, in some cases decades between records, who are going to return in ’26 only after a few years (The Stones, The Cure) with new stuff and that’s always a reason to rejoice in dark, dark times. Especially considering we’ve come undone where I live…

This song is probably going to take a few listens, it’s not going to jump out of the speaker and into your consciousness immediately, but it is worth repeated listens. After 2 or 3 “spins,” I was certainly “in.” Give this one a chance and it will reveal itself to you. 

Cheers!