David Gilmour’s wife has revealed that Pink Floyd will release a new album this October. “The Endless River” is the group’s first album since 1994’s “The Division Bell,” and was reportedly inspired by the same recording sessions.
Polly Samson, who married Gilmour in 1994, unveiled Pink Floyd’s secret plans on her Twitter account. In addition to announcing the album’s title and release date, she referred to the record as “Rick Wright’s swansong.” Wright, who co-founded Pink Floyd with Syd Barrett, Nick Mason and Roger Waters, died in 2008.
Vocalist Durga McBroom-Hudson, who has toured with Gilmour and Pink Floyd, subsequently shared some further details. “The recording did start during ‘The Division Bell’ sessions (and yes, it was the side project originally titled ‘The Big Spliff’ that Nick Mason spoke about),” she wrote on Facebook. “David and Nick have gone in and done a lot more since then.”
According to McBroom-Hudson, “The Endless River” “was originally supposed to be a completely instrumental recording”. But Gilmour gradually changed his mind, inviting McBroom-Hudson to record backup vocals last December and adding more singing since then. Gilmour has “done a lead on at least one track,” she said, and Samson, who co-wrote seven of “The Division Bell’s” tracks, described herself on Twitter as one of “The Endless River’s” lyricists.
The presence of ex-Floyd bassist and singer Roger Waters (the architect of much of the band’s sound) has not been confirmed.
Tensions between Waters and Gilmour are fraught, to say the least – the pair have reunited sporadically for one-off performances, but it’s unlikely Gilmour will bring him into the studio for the new album.