Deep Purple have released their twenty fourth studio album, Splat, arriving less than two years after =1 and reinforcing the band’s commitment to making new music and continuing to tour rather than embracing retirement.
by Paul Cashmere
Deep Purple have released their twenty fourth studio album, Splat, through earMUSIC, marking another chapter in one of rock’s longest running recording careers. The album arrives on July 3 and comes as the British band continues an extensive global touring schedule, with no plans to stage a farewell campaign despite years of speculation about retirement.
Watch the all-new Noise11 interview with Roger Glover of Deep Purple:
For many heritage acts, the later years are dominated by anniversary tours and archive releases. Deep Purple has taken a different path. Formed in 1968, the group has remained an active recording entity, releasing new material at a pace that has accelerated in recent years. Splat follows 2024’s =1 and becomes the band’s twenty fourth studio album, extending a catalogue that spans almost six decades.
The album was recorded in Nashville and marks Deep Purple’s sixth consecutive collaboration with producer Bob Ezrin. The relationship with Ezrin dates back to 2013’s Now What?! and has coincided with one of the most productive periods in the band’s later career. Bassist Roger Glover has previously said that working with Ezrin effectively revived the band’s recording momentum after an eight year gap that followed 2005’s Rapture Of The Deep.
The current line-up features Ian Gillan on vocals, Roger Glover on bass, Ian Paice on drums, Don Airey on keyboards and Simon McBride on guitar. The band continues to favour recording together in the studio, preserving the live interplay that was central to Deep Purple’s classic recordings of the early 1970s.
Splat has also produced an unexpected Australian connection. The track Diablo features a guest guitar appearance from Australian country star Keith Urban. The collaboration came about after Urban acquired The Tracking Room in Nashville, the studio where Deep Purple had previously recorded four albums. Producer Bob Ezrin invited Urban to contribute to the song and the guitarist agreed, adding his own style to the recording.
Structurally, the album is also unusual within Deep Purple’s catalogue. The songs are notably concise by the band’s standards, resulting in the shortest average track lengths of any Deep Purple studio album. The longest song, Guilt Tripping, runs for just four minutes and fifty two seconds. According to the band, the shorter format emerged naturally during the writing and recording process.
Lyrically, Gillan has steered the material away from themes of destruction and apocalypse. Instead, songs across Splat explore ideas of human transformation and metamorphosis. Tracks including Guilt Tripping and Arrogant Boy adopt surreal narratives that reflect those themes.
The release of Splat also arrives against a backdrop of continued discussion about Deep Purple’s future. In recent years, the band has repeatedly distanced itself from retirement speculation. Glover has explained that the title The Long Goodbye Tour was originally suggested by former guitarist Steve Morse, but the group eventually abandoned the notion that they were approaching an endpoint. Keyboard player Don Airey expressed a similar view during the release of 2017’s Infinite, saying the band intended to continue performing for as long as they remained capable.
That commitment remains evident in their current schedule. Deep Purple is undertaking a 92 date world tour in 2026, taking the band across 28 countries and three continents. The group has already introduced the new song Arrogant Boy into the live set and reports positive reactions from audiences.
Australian fans were left disappointed when dates from the previous touring cycle were cancelled because of promoter and management decisions. Glover has previously emphasised that the musicians themselves are not involved in the logistical or commercial aspects of tour planning, leaving those responsibilities to their representatives while concentrating on recording and performing.
For Deep Purple, Splat is another demonstration that the band sees no distinction between its past and present. Nearly sixty years after its formation, the group continues to record, release and tour at a pace few contemporaries have maintained.
Tracklisting
Arrogant Boy
Diablo
The Rider
The Lunatic
The Only Horse In Town
Sacred Land
The Beating Of Wings
Guilt Tripping
Scriblin’ Gib’rish
Jessica’s Bra
Third Call
My New Movie
Splat!
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first-Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
