Peter Gabriel’s long-awaited I/O still doesn’t have a release date, but the art-rock veteran did recently wrap the first leg of its supporting tour. He’s also released a whole bunch of singles, “Road To Joy,” “Four Kinds Of Horses,” the title track, and “So Much.” Today, we get another one called “Olive Tree.”

“I don’t think there was any deep significance to the title, but I can look around and try and invent some!,” Gabriel wrote in his official newsletter of “Olive Tree,” which features a string arrangement from John Metcalfe and Manu Katché on drums, Tony Levin on bass, David Rhodes on guitar, Josh Shpak on trumpet, and additional percussion from Ged Lynch.

He adds:

In some ways I do think we are part of everything and we probably have means to connect and communicate with everything that we often shut off. We only want to see and listen to the things that seem important and relevant to us and shut out the noise of everything else when, probably, hidden in that noise there are all sorts of things that can help us realise our place in this future world.

It feeds into this idea that we’re no longer these islands that have our own private thoughts, that our thoughts are going to get opened up to the outside world. The lubrication that allows society to function is based, in part, on not being able to read what’s going on in other people’s minds, so unless we get more comfortable with how we really are, we’re probably going to prefer to stay partly buried in our private worlds.

I wanted it to have some speed to it but I also wanted some mystery, too. I think it is a celebration in a way and there’s a real sense of being alive.

Listen to “Olive Tree.”