Brian Eno has surprised fans with the release of his new album, Aurum, exclusively on Apple Music. Launched on March 20, 2025, the album marks a significant milestone as Eno's 30th solo release, utilizing the platform’s spatial audio technology to provide listeners with an immersive experience that is unavailable on other streaming services.
Aurum spans almost 80 minutes and consists of 11 tracks that showcase Eno's pioneering approach to ambient music. This album comes three years after his last solo effort, FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE, and highlights Eno's ability to evolve while staying true to his roots in experimental sound.
To celebrate the launch, Eno engaged in an expansive interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music. The conversation revealed Eno's deep reflections on artificial intelligence and technology in the music industry. "The biggest problem for me about AI is not intrinsic to AI. It's to do with the fact that it's owned by the same few people, and I have less and less interest in what those people think, and more and more criticisms of what the effect of their work has been," Eno explained during the interview.
Eno's insights don't stop there. He expressed his views on social media, stating, "I think social media has been a catastrophe and mildly useful at the same time. It's possible for both things to coexist, but I think in terms of what it's done to societies, it's been a catastrophe. What it's done to politics has been completely toxic." This candid admission reflects his broader concerns about the implications of technology on society.
Throughout the years, Eno has established himself as a significant figure in the landscape of contemporary music, not only for his own compositions but also for his influential work with other artists, notably during his time with Roxy Music. As one of the genre-defining pioneers of ambient music, Eno’s catalog includes celebrated works like Ambient 1: Music for Airports and Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks.
In this latest release, Eno continues to explore boundaries and challenge listeners in ways that only he can. He has a remarkable capacity for innovation, demonstrated by his 10,550-track musical archive, which equates to an astonishing listening experience of 44 days, 8 hours, 38 minutes, and 28 seconds.
Reflecting on his long career, Eno remarked about his beginnings with Roxy Music as the band emerged during rock and roll’s formative years. “When Roxy started, rock and roll was about 16 years old. If you think of it, 1955 is probably when you can say it started with Bill Haley, and rhythm and blues just becoming rock and roll, Little Richard, that kind of thing. It seemed like ancient history to us when we started Roxy Music, and now, what is that, that’s 70 years ago,” he mused.
Eno’s work invites listeners to engage with sound in transformative ways, raising questions about the very nature of music and its connection to technology. With the experience offered by Aurum, fans old and new can delve into a world that pushes the limits of what music can be, with Eno leading the charge.
As Eno continues to navigate the interplay between technology and artistry, he showcases his eagerness to embrace new techniques while simultaneously critiquing the systems that govern them. With Aurum, Brian Eno underscores not only his enduring legacy but also his ability to remain relevant in an ever-changing musical landscape. His perspective serves as a reminder of the complexities that lie at the intersection of artistic expression and technological advancement.
