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Ian Gillan, the singer of Deep Purple, said in a recent interview with Songwriting For Songwriters that the renowned rock group is finalizing a new album for a possible June 2026 release, as per Blabbermouth. The next project will be the sequel to “=1,” which was released by earMUSIC in July 2024. Asked what kind of lyrical topics he has been exploring in the tracks for the next Deep Purple full-length, Ian stated this.
Well, it’s very interesting on this one. I can’t give you too much at this stage, but it’s basically very optimistic. Let’s say there’s a general theme. It’s a fairly loose conceptual idea of the end of humanity, but not as grim as it sounds. In fact, it’s very optimistic. It’s about the metamorphosis of humanity into a metaphysical state, our next incarnation. It’s a bit too early to be doing interviews about this. I don’t mean time of day. I mean, it’s not gonna be out until June, so I don’t want to give too much away.
Additionally, Gillan discussed the Deep Purple songwriting process in greater detail, focusing on his rapport with the several guitarists who have performed with the group.
It’s very important, obviously. But at the same time you’ve got to ignore it. I’ve got an idea that came to me a long time ago with Deep Purple. But when you’re writing like that, as opposed to sitting down with a co-writer or on your own with a guitar and you’re writing the entire thing, then there are no boundaries, really. But with a band, you are very much confined by what you’re given. For example, the working practice of Purple has always been the same. We go to a place for a week or 10 days and go into the office every day — start at noon, finish at six and stop for tea at three o’clock. It’s like going to the office. And the guys just start playing, and it’s all improvised. You have no idea. If you were a listener, you’d think you might be hearing the preparation for something operatic or a mood music for a yoga or massage parlor or you might be in a jazz club or hearing some blues or rock or soul, any kind of thing that came to their mind. These are great players, and so the music evolves, as I say, and then dramatically switches into something else. So basically it’s a week-long or eight-day jam. And every now and again, somebody nods to somebody else and says, ‘Okay, that’s worth keeping,’ an idea, a mood, a rhythm, a sequence, or anything like that, and we record it and come back at the end of the session with probably 35 or 40 ideas. And the next session is much the same. We trim it down and then add some more, and trim it down to 30 ideas, and it gradually evolves. Now, I don’t have much choice, really, other than to say, ‘Well, perhaps there’s too many verses there,’ or ‘we need a little bit here’, or a section or a middle eight there or whatever. But basically it’s the guys putting the songs together. And I just have to — what I call — ride the pony. And when it comes to sitting down alone and shaping my contribution, I’ve gotta pretty much fit in. But then again, it’s easy to be overwhelmed with something like that because it’s a hell of a challenge. So I’ve got this attitude, I’ve gotta take over, I’ve gotta dominate completely and make it sound not as if I’m hopping on afterwards, but as if the whole idea came from the song first. It’s a reversal. So I’ve got complete freedom in terms of lyrics, but obviously there’s a mood thing. And it’s gotta fit with the songs. And, obviously, I liked in more recent years, particularly, to have a concept for the album that basically hangs things together. The last album was called ‘=1’ and it was all about my frustration with the complexities of life these days and so forth.
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