Peter Gabriel has released the new song “What Lies Ahead”, the third track from his upcoming album ‘o\i’. The first version of the song arrives as the Bright-Side Mix by Mark “Spike” Stent, with Gabriel writing and producing the track. The song first appeared in instrumental form during Gabriel’s Back to Front Tour before evolving into its finished studio recording.
“What Lies Ahead” began with a melody created by Gabriel’s son Isaac, which the singer developed into a full composition. The track also features contributions from Jennie Abrahamson and Linnea Olsson, whose cello parts carried over from the early live arrangement, while John Metcalfe later expanded the sound with orchestral elements recorded in 2022. The powerful Scandinavian choir Orphei Drangar also appears on the recording, an idea encouraged by Brian Eno to open the song with a striking emotional atmosphere.
Gabriel describes the song as a reflection on invention and the creative process, inspired in part by watching his father, an electrical engineer and inventor, navigate the challenges of turning ideas into reality. The release also features artwork from feminist artist Judy Chicago’s 1982 piece Birth Tear/Tear, embroidered by Jane Thompson, which Gabriel says reflects themes of creation and the emotional parallels between giving birth and bringing ideas into the world.