Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree announces new album ‘The Overview’

The record will arrive in March, and comes accompanied by a full-length film and UK and European tour

Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson has shared details of a new album titled ‘The Overview’. Find out the details below.

• READ MORE: Steven Wilson on new album ‘The Harmony Codex’: “I’m privileged to do what the fuck I want”

The upcoming record will be shared on March 14 via Fiction Records and marks the eighth studio album from the producer, remixer, originator and songwriter. Visit here to pre-order.

Coming in at 42 minutes long, the record consists of two extensive, multi-part songs: ‘Objects Outlive Us’, which comes in at 23 minutes and 17 seconds, and ‘The Overview’ which is 18 minutes and 27 seconds.

It also sees Wilson draw inspiration from the “overview effect” experienced by astronauts looking back at the Earth from space.

According to a press release, the record is set to be the artist’s “most audacious to date” and will see him return to expansive, progressive music.

In a new statement, Wilson described the album by saying:  “It is a 42-minute long journey based on the reported ‘overview effect’, 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,” he added. “As a reflection of that, the album presents images and stories of life on Earth, both good and bad.”

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Although the record was initially a solo recording, the final version features contributions in the studio from regular collaborators Craig Blundell (drums), Adam Holzman (keyboards) and Randy McStine (guitars).

“The resulting album has a resolutely singular sound and vision that pulls pieces from different periods of Wilson’s 30-plus-year career,” reads a press release, which also confirmed there are nods to past albums including ‘The Raven That Refused To Sing’, ‘The Future Bites’ and 2023’s ‘The Harmony Codex’.

As well as the new album, the upcoming release will be accompanied by a full-length film. Directed by visual artist Miles Skarin, both the film and the album will premiere in London on February 25. Held at London’s BFI IMAX, a Q&A session with Wilson will also be taking place.

Last summer, Steven Wilson announced details of a 2025 UK and European headline tour, which will mark his first solo dates in seven years.

The European leg will kick off on May 1, while the UK dates commence on May 10 with a show at Beacon in Bristol. This will be followed by two nights at the London Palladium on May 12 and 13, before further stops in Newcastle, Glasgow and Salford. Visit here for tickets and more information.

Wilson’s last album was 2023’s ‘The Harmony Codex’, which arrived following the reunion tour with Porcupine Tree, who went on hiatus in 2010.

Speaking to NME about the reunion in 2023, Wilson said: “I really enjoyed it. It was fun and joyous to get back with the guys without the pressure of feeling like it was my day-job. ‘The Harmony Codex’ was already in the can and I knew this was my main focus going forward.”

More recently, he put the almost two-decade-old myth that he called Coldplay “wankers” to bed. The rumour was sparked after he was seen holding up a sign that read “Coldplay are wankers” US Porcupine Tree show in 2006.

Wilson shared an update that the sign had been passed to him by a member of the audience, writing: “Now I kinda liked Coldplay (still do), so I was nonplussed and held up the sign to ask the author something along the lines of why had they written such an incorrect and inappropriate statement.”