The UK prog rocker turns to intelligent pop and India for inspiration on his upcoming album ‘To The Bone,’ which will be promoted with a music video for “Permanating”

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In March of this year, when Steven Wilson posted a colorful new promo photo from his then yet-to-be-announced solo album To the Bone (now confirmed to release on August 18th via Caroline International), plenty of the Porcupine Tree founder’s Indian fans commented that it looked like he was playing Holi.

This is how you end up after @lassehoile has been taking photographs of you all day! 😝#stevenwilson #newalbum A post shared by Steven Wilson (@stevenwilsonhq) on Mar 7, 2017 at 1:30pm PST

Wilson says over the phone that the concept for the photoshoot was brainstormed by photographer and video director Lasse Hoile, who Wilson has worked with on multiple past occasions. “We talked a lot about India, the style and its creative influences on the visual side of the album,” says Wilson. “It was Lasse’s idea, and I think it was very much intentional. It was his first time in India [in October and December 2016] and he was filming for us. I think he was completely blown away [by India].”

But that’s not where the India influence ends on To the Bone. Wilson adds that his next music video will also be directed by Hoile–“for the biggest pop song on the record”–and will feature Bollywood dancers. “We’re using Bollywood dancers for that, which sounds bizarre,” Wilson says. “If you thought Steven Wilson was going to have Bollywood dancing in one of his videos, you’d probably think it was a very strange fit, but it works so beautifully.” The multi-instrumentalist says they begin shooting the video later this month, with an eye on releasing it in mid-July.

Wilson has shunned any major conceptual artwork and packaging design with To the Bone, unlike his previous albums such as The Raven that Refused to Sing and Hand. Cannot. Erase. He believes that this new strategy rightfully reflects the sonic influence of intelligent pop records and artists. “It’s more about me than any concept. In a way, it does align with the world of pop than metal or progressive rock, where artwork tends to be more fantastical and conceptual,” he says. “Putting yourself on an album cover is something David Bowie or Prince would have done. It’s not something Pink Floyd would’ve done. In a way, I’m saying this is a record more in the tradition of Bowie or Prince. It’s about my musical and artistic personality.”

With the album set to release in August and his tour only starting in early 2018, Wilson says there’s a lot of promo on the agenda, with as many as a total of six music videos from the upcoming album. In between, he’s also auditioning guitarists to fill in the role of Dave Kilminster, whom Wilson says he’s “lost” to Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters. “I’m not touring this year, I won’t start touring until January. We’re going to do as much promotion as possible,” he says. “India is definitely high on the agenda, don’t worry.”

Watch the music video for “Pariah” below. Stay tuned for our full interview with Steven Wilson.