Legendary U.K. hard-rockers Deep Purple are returning with a brand-new studio album titled =1 (Equals 1) that will be released on July 19. The 13-track collection of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ released Whoosh! in 2020. The group also put out a covers project called Turning to Crime in 2021.
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Deep Purple will release an advance single from =1 at midnight on Tuesday, April 30. The album was produced by the group’s longtime collaborator Bob Ezrin, and according to a press statement, it “record evokes the pioneering band’s classic sound, without relying on nostalgia.”
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The statement also explains that the album’s mysterious title “symbolizes the idea that in a world growing ever more complex, everything eventually simplifies down to a single, unified essence. Everything equals one.”
Elements of the record’s enigmatic artwork, including cryptic mathematical equations and references to the multiverse have recently appeared in public spaces in London, Paris, and Berlin. The band is promising to reveal the meaning behind the equations and images in the coming weeks.
About the Deep Purple Lineup
=1 is the first Deep Purple album to feature guitarist Simon McBride, who replaced longtime member Steve Morse in 2022 when Morse exited after a 28-year stint with the band because of personal circumstances.
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Deep Purple still features three members from the band’s classic Mark II lineup—singer Ian Gillan, bassist Roger Glover, and founding drummer Ian Paice. Rounding out the group is keyboardist Don Airey, a member since 2002.
More Details About =1
=1 can be pre-ordered now, and is available in multiple formats and configurations. They include a standard CD, a cassette, a CD/DVD digipak, two-LP collections pressed on black and limited-edition purple vinyl, a limited-edition two-LP picture disc, and a deluxe box set.
The box set is available exclusively at Deep Purple’s online store. It features a two-LP 180-gram vinyl set housed in a gatefold sleeve, a 12-page booklet, the CD/DVD digipak, three 10-inch vinyl EPs featuring live recordings from the band’s 2022 tour, a T-shirt, two guitar picks, an art print, and a lanyard.
The DVD boasts a 60-minute documentary, behind-the-scenes footage, and more.
Deep Purple’s 2024 Tour Plans
As previously reported, Deep Purple is launching a North American tour this summer celebrating the 50th anniversary of their classic song “Smoke on the Water.” The trek, which also features Yes, kicks off August 14 in Hollywood, Florida, and is plotted out through a September 8 show in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Deep Purple also have a May 1 concert in Singapore before launching a European trek that runs from mid-June to early August. In addition, after the North American tour winds down, the group will head back to Europe, including their native U.K., for more shows in October and November.
Tickets to Deep Purple’s 2024 concerts are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
=1 Track List:
1. “Show Me”
2. “A Bit on the Side”
3. “Sharp Shooter”
4. “Portable Door”
5. “Old-Fangled Thing”
6. “If I Were You”
7. “Pictures of You”
8. “I’m Saying Nothin’”
9. “Lazy Sod”
10. “Now You’re Talkin’”
11. “No Money to Burn”
12. “I’ll Catch You”
13. “Bleeding Obvious”
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