6x Grammy Award-nominated musician/songwriter/producer, Steven Wilson, has announced the release of what may well be the most audacious work of his already visionary career. The Overview arrives via Fiction Records in a wide range of formats – including digital, CD, LP, Blu-ray, D2C exclusive boxset, D2C exclusive red vinyl LP (with poster), and retail exclusive mint color LP – on Friday, March 14.
Pre-order here, and watch a 30-second album teaser below.
Written, produced, and mixed by Wilson at his home studio between December 2023 and August 2024, The Overview sees the world-renowned artist once again expanding the parameters of progressive music, a genre he has long helped redefine through both his groundbreaking solo career and landmark work with Porcupine Tree. The 42-minute collection is comprised of just two epic tracks, “Objects Outlive Us” and “The Overview,” each made up of distinctive musical sections that flow from one to the next, playing out as unique and continuous pieces. Once again, Wilson’s resolutely expansive music incorporates everything from glistening electronics to post-rock and beyond, pushing forward the singular sound and vision that has long defined his wildly ambitious body of work for more than three decades.
“The Overview is a 42-minute long journey based on the reported ‘overview effect,’” says Steven Wilson, “whereby astronauts seeing the Earth from space undergo a transformative cognitive shift, most often experiencing an overwhelming appreciation and perception of beauty, and an increased sense of connection to other people and the Earth as a whole. However, not all experiences are positive; some see the Earth truly for what it is, insignificant and lost in the vastness of space, and the human race as a troubled species. As a reflection of that, the album presents images and stories of life on Earth, both good and bad.”
Although initially conceived as a solo recording, The Overview sees Wilson backed by frequent collaborators Craig Blundell (drums), Adam Holzman (keyboards), and Randy McStine (guitars), alongside lyrics from XTC’s Andy Partridge that help form the story that drives “Objects Outlive Us.” Consistent with Wilson’s illustrious reputation, The Overview will be presented as a true audiophile experience, with spatial/Atmos audio versions available both physically and digitally; vinyl editions of The Overview have been specifically mastered at half-speed at London’s Abbey Road by 3x Grammy Award-nominated engineer Miles Showell (The Beatles, ABBA, The Police).
Wilson will mark the arrival of The Overview with a wide-ranging EU/UK headline tour – his first solo tour in more than five years. Highlights include four shows at the historic London Palladium in London, England (May 12-13, 19-20) and a three-night stand at Paris, France’s famed Salle Playel. North and South American headline dates will be unveiled soon. For updates and ticket information, please visit stevenwilsonhq.com/tour-dates.
In addition, The Overview will be accompanied by a full-length film directed by Wilson’s longtime visual collaborator Miles Skarin. Both the film and the album will be officially unveiled with a world premiere event and exclusive Q&A session taking place on Tuesday, February 25 on Britain’s largest cinema screen, London’s BFI IMAX. Tickets for the premiere event go on sale to BMI members on Friday, January 10 at 12 PM; all remaining tickets will then be available to the general public at 4 PM.
The Overview tracklisting:
"Objects Outlive Us" (23.17)
"No Monkey’s Paw"
"The Buddha Of The Modern Age"
"Objects: Meanwhile" *
"The Cicerones"
"Ark"
"Cosmic Sons Of Toil"
"No Ghost On The Moor"
"Heat Death Of The Universe"
"The Overview" (18.27)
"Perspective"
"A Beautiful Infinity I"
"Borrowed Atoms"
"A Beautiful Infinity II"
"Infinity Measured In Moments"
"Permanence"
* Lyrics by Andy Partridge
Teaser:
(Photo - Kevin Westenberg)
