Today, in our music column, a question sounds: Who Are We Talking To? — "Who are we talking to?"
Peter Gabriel turns it toward a world in which the possibilities for communication are growing, while the ability to hear one another still requires our participation. And for this he chooses the language of funk, soul, and human voices.
On 9 November 2026, the musician released the Bright-Side Mix — a new version of the song first presented on 26 October. The bright sonic interpretation was created by Mark "Spike" Stent; the original Dark-Side Mix was the work of Mike Elizondo. The composition is part of the forthcoming album o\i.
The two readings allow one musical idea to be heard in different ways. The sonic balance shifts, attention moves between details — and the familiar song reveals itself from another side.
An idea one wants to answer with movement
Gabriel explains: the song is conceived as an invitation to joint action. He is interested in people's capacity to unite for tasks that go beyond any single country. Climate, the development of artificial intelligence, global health — questions in which individual efforts gain strength through cooperation.
At the same time, the message must live inside the music. Among his reference points, the author names Marvin Gaye, Fela Kuti, and Curtis Mayfield — performers who combined expressive rhythm with a public statement.
Here there is an opportunity everyone can understand: first feel the response, let the body pick up the movement, and then hear the words more attentively. Music creates a space of encounter into which a person enters by their own will.
Choir, bass, and guitars: each with its own line
Taking part in the recording are Soweto Gospel Choir, bassist Tony Levin, guitarists Leo Nocentelli, David Rhodes and Katie May. On drums is Abe Rounds, and the horn parts are performed by Josh Shpak and Evan Smith. The choral work is led by arranger Diniloxolo Ndlakuse.
The lineup itself invites us to listen closely to the interplay. The bass forms the foundation, the guitars add their own figures, and the horns and choir expand the space of the song.
That is how the expressiveness of the ensemble is built: an individual part retains its character while at the same time changing how the others are perceived. Sometimes it is precisely a short answer from an instrument or the entry of a voice that opens an entire phrase anew.
The collective sound is born from the concrete participation of each.
A picture that continues the conversation
For the cover, Gabriel chose Bloques — a work by the Spanish artist Juan Genovés, created in 2011. The musician himself links the depicted geometric spaces and human figures to the obstacles that divide people, and to the possibility of coming together.
The song acquires yet another dimension: the artist's gaze joins the sound. The listener can linger over the image, notice their own associations, and continue the conversation within their own experience.
Music, painting, and human attention meet in a single work, preserving different ways of speaking.
What does this song add to the sound of the planet?
In Gabriel's conception there is a desire to see humanity as capable of cooperation. Music allows this grand idea to be brought closer to a simple experience: to hear another's voice, to feel a response, and to decide what you yourself want to contribute.
Harmony begins with attention. We notice another person's experience, value their freedom, and leave room for choice. Then differences become an opportunity to discover what was not previously present in our own sound.
Each has their own intonation, their own path, their own gift. And encounter gives these gifts a new continuation.
The planet finds new consonances every time we hear each other — and freely choose to create together.
