Beth Gibbons has given an update on her long-awaited debut solo album: Lives Outgrown will be out soon via Domino, the Portishead vocalist shared in a handwritten note on social media Thursday (February 1st).
“My 50s have brought forward a new yet older horizon,” Gibbons wrote. “It has been a time of farewells to family, friends and even to who I was before, the lyrics mirroring my anxieties and sleepless nighttime ruminations, hence Lives Outgrown. Not just because of the way we travel through emotional or psychological transitions in our lives but relating more to the time we leave this planet and our motion into the unknown. Something I fear but just need to try and celebrate as a moment approaching, gifting the ability to grow beyond the restraints of this physical world.”
The note continues: “The sound was also a process, exploring structures within my own personal capabilities. I wanted to draw away from breakbeats and snares, focusing on the woody fabric of timbres away from the sugary addiction of high frequencies that satisfy like sugar and salt.”
Gibbons didn’t give any further clues on a release date, but fans can sign up for her email list to be notified. See the full statement below.
Last year, Portishead a remastered and expanded edition of their live album Roseland NYC Live for its 25th anniversary. In May 2022, they reunited for their first live show in seven years at a UK benefit concert alongside IDLES. Their last studio album was 2008’s Third.