STEVEN WILSON Announces 'The Overview' Album

Six-time-Grammy Award-nominated musician, songwriter and 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.

A 30-second album teaser video is available 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 three-time-Grammy Award-nominated engineer Miles Showell (THE BEATLES, ABBA, THE POLICE).

Wilson will mark the arrival of "The Overview" with a wide-ranging European 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.

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 question-and-answer 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 12:00 p.m.; all remaining tickets will then be available to the general public at 4:00 p.m.

Hailed by David Fricke in Rolling Stone for his "fighting spirit and truly progressive ideals in rock composition, group improvisation and emotionally authentic storytelling," Wilson is, among his many guises, a visionary solo artist, founding member of Grammy Award-nominated British rock band PORCUPINE TREE, and pioneering spatial audio remixer known for his work with such artists as KING CRIMSON, YES, TEARS FOR FEARS, XTC, NEW ORDER and many more. "The Overview" follows Wilson's seventh solo studio album, 2023's "The Harmony Codex", which debuted at No. 4 on the U.K.'s official albums chart amidst worldwide critical applause from the likes of Mojo, which praised the groundbreaking collection as "a sonic journey where you never quite know what's round the corner."

2022 saw the internationally acclaimed release of PORCUPINE TREE's long-awaited eleventh studio album and first release in over 12 years, "Closure/Continuation", which debuted at #2 on the U.K. albums chart and reached No. 1 in Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. An epic world tour followed, making stops in North America, South America, and Europe before culminating with a triumphant sold-out show at London's famed OVO Arena Wembley. 2022 also saw the publication of Wilson's much-applauded first memoir, "Limited Edition Of One" (Little, Brown).

What's more, 2024 was highlighted by "The Itself Of Itself", the first full-length release from Wilson's experimental solo project, BASS COMMUNION, in more than 12 years. The album's limited-edition release was celebrated with Wilson's only live appearance of 2024, a sold-out performance at London's intimate Cafe OTO, as well as the long-awaited arrival of the previous BASS COMMUNION catalog at all leading streaming platforms.

"The Overview" track listing:

"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

"The Overview" 2025 tour dates:

May 01 - Stockholm, Sweden - Cirkus (SOLD OUT)
May 02 - Oslo, Norway - Konzerthaus (SOLD OUT)
May 04 - Copenhagen, Denmark - KB-Halen
May 06 - Dusseldorf, Germany - Mitsubishi Electric Hall
May 07 - Brussels, Belgium - Cirque Royal (SOLD OUT)
May 09 - Birmingham, UK - Symphony Hall
May 10 - Bristol, UK - Beacon (SOLD OUT)
May 12 - London, UK - The London Palladium (SOLD OUT)
May 13 - London, UK - The London Palladium (SOLD OUT)
May 15 - Newcastle, UK - O2 City Hall
May 16 - Glasgow, UK - Royal Concert Hall
May 18 - Manchester, UK - The Lowry (SOLD OUT)
May 19 - London, UK - The London Palladium
May 20 - London, UK - The London Palladium
May 22 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - AFAS Live
May 24 - Paris, France - Salle Pleyel
May 25 - Paris, France - Salle Pleyel
May 26 - Paris, France - Salle Pleyel
May 28 - Lyon, France - Bourse Du Travail
May 29 - Lyon, France - Bourse Du Travail
May 30 - Stuttgart, Germany - Porsche Arena
May 31 - Munich, Germany - Zenith
June 02 - Berlin, Germany - Friedrichspalast
June 03 - Hamburg, Germany - Sporthalle
June 04 - Warsaw, Poland - Torwar
June 05 - Gliwice, Poland - Prezero
June 07 - Milan, Italy - Teatro Degli Arcimboldi
June 08 - Rome, Italy - Parco Della Musica
June 10 - Zurich, Switzerland - The Hall
June 11 - Marseille, France - Cepac Silo
June 12 - Barcelona, Spain - Para-lel 62
June 13 - Madrid, Spain - Riviera

Photo credit: Kevin Westenberg