LONDON, March 1, 2024 – Peter Gabriel is charting a unique course for his upcoming album, oi, releasing new music guided by the lunar cycle. The art-rock pioneer’s latest single, “Put the Bucket down,” arrived today as part of this full-moon-driven rollout, mirroring the strategy used for his 2023 album, i/o.
A Celestial Release Schedule
Gabriel is unveiling tracks from oi every full moon, creating a deliberate and atmospheric listening experience.
- “Put The Bucket down” follows last month’s release, “Been Undone.”
- The song is available now in the Radiant-Side Mix, produced by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent, wiht a Dark-Side mix by Tchad Blake arriving on February 17.
- The album artwork features a web created by multiple spider species.
Written and produced by Gabriel, “Put The Bucket Down” initially appears in a Bright-Side Mix crafted by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent. Fans can anticipate Tchad Blake’s Dark-Side mix when the new moon appears on February 17. While a firm release date for oi remains undisclosed, the next full moon – known as the worm moon – is scheduled for March 3.
What is the concept behind Gabriel’s lunar-timed releases? The artist is releasing a new single every full moon for his forthcoming album oi, following a similar pattern established with his 2023 album, i/o.
A Collaboration with Nature and Art
The artwork accompanying “Put The Bucket Down” is titled “Cosmic Spider/Web” and was created by Tomáš Saraceno. Remarkably, the piece was constructed by three distinct spider species: Cyrtophora citricola, Nephila senegalensis, and Holocnemus pluchei.
“This work, integrating with nature and co-creating with spiders, is fascinating,” Gabriel shared. “I think it’s a beautiful thing and somehow there seems to be a connection with webs and nature and the brain so, for me, it fits right in. In this case, Tomáš heard the music and chose this image as something that he thought was appropriate. Thank you to Tomáš and his team and please check out what he does.”
Gabriel further elaborated on the song’s thematic core, explaining that it’s part of a larger project centered around the human brain. “As a side project, I am working on a show with the brain as the central core and there are a number of songs, some on i/o and some on oi that will be part of that. This is one of those and it’s a point in the narrative where we can both read and write thoughts and the person singing is not sure whether he has his own thoughts or not. Is he inside his own mind or inside someone else’s?”
He described the “bucket” as representing the constant stream of thoughts that occupy our minds, suggesting that “putting the bucket down” is a metaphor for finding clarity and direction. gabriel also detailed the song’s musical growth, noting the importance of a “lop-sided loop” and the contributions of the band, John Metcalfe, Paolo Fresu, and Josh Shpack.
As a side project, I am working on a show with the brain as the central core and there are a number of songs, some on i/o and some on oi that will be part of that. This is one of those and it’s a point in the narrative where we can both read and write thoughts and the person singing is not sure whether he has his own thoughts or not. Is he inside his own mind or inside someone else’s?
The ‘bucket’ is all the crap that goes around our head all the time, so it is putting the bucket down to find your way forward…I started building rhythmic elements around what I call a lop-sided loop and got quite excited.When we had the band play it, it really came to life so that feels good for me. The band and me working away is the bulk of the song, but when we where in the orchestral sessions I asked John Metcalfe to come up with a part – it was scribbled out on the day in the studio – which is ridiculously simple, but it serves the song nicely.
We’re also blessed with horn players. I was very lucky on the last record to play with Paolo Fresu and then Josh Shpack on the tour and they’ve both done a version of the instrumental melody on this too.
