Edmonton Journal has reported:

Asia will release Indigo on Nov. 6, its first studio album in 12 years. The English rock supergroup returns with original member Geoff Downes leading a new lineup after a substantial run of live performances. The collection draws on the band’s history while bringing together melodic, radio-ready songs and longer pieces that give its musicians room to stretch.

Asia formed in 1982, bringing together four musicians from major progressive-rock acts of the 1970s: John Wetton of King Crimson, Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Steve Howe of Yes and Downes of the Buggles. The project became far larger than a gathering of established players. Its self-titled debut reportedly sold as many as 80,000 copies a day, while “Heat of the Moment” became a hit on MTV.

Downes had already helped make MTV history with the Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star,” the first music video played on the channel. Artist Roger Dean’s artwork also became closely associated with Asia’s visual identity. The band’s early success was built around singles, including “Heat of the Moment,” “Go, Only Time Will Tell” and “Don’t Cry.”

As the 1980s gave way to the 1990s, Wetton left and John Payne took over lead vocals. Asia continued making melodic rock driven by prominent choruses. Some of the Payne-era albums developed into records meant to be heard as a whole, though the band’s early identity remained closely tied to individual songs.

The original four members reunited in 2006 and made three albums and toured together before the lineup began to change again. Wetton died in 2017, three years after the release of Gravitas, Asia’s 2014 studio album. The band’s history now includes those distinct periods, from the original lineup to the Payne years and the later reunion records.

On Indigo, that past is reflected in both the lineup and the material. Wetton is credited as a co-writer on “Tattoo Indigo,” despite having died in 2017. The track is divided into three parts and runs exactly 11 minutes, with the second part especially evoking Wetton’s presence. A third part featuring Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy is available as a bonus track.

“Tattoo Indigo” takes the album into more progressive territory, moving through jazz-blues and fusion. Guitarist John Mitchell plays bends near the end that recall Steve Hackett, while drummer Virgil Donati gets a prominent showcase. The piece is among the longer, more experimental moments on a record that also includes accessible songs.

“The Traveller (Into the Light)” is another standout. Its mix and sound come through more fully on the album than in the track’s YouTube video, where some of that freshness is lost. “Change of Heart” sounds as if some of the musical presets associated with 1982 have returned, while “Arcadia” is a strong, cinematic song with a quality reminiscent of the Top Gun soundtrack.

“Is This the Life?” carries what may be the album’s best melody. “Life of the Sun” features soaring guitar work, and “Hymn for the Fallen” continues the record’s journey. “Night and Day” is an anthemic example of Asia’s familiar sound, while “Valencia (The Ghost Ship)” takes a different direction through its narrative lyrics. Its rhythm may be the closest the album comes to sounding like Yes.

“An Elegy” works as an interlude and could have introduced “On a Winter’s Night,” a more majestic piece reminiscent of some of the longer, grander tracks from the Wetton reunion albums of 2006 and 2012. “Chesapeake Bay,” which features original member Steve Howe, is one of the clearest instances of vocalist Harry Whitley carrying Wetton’s spirit. It brings the band’s history close without relying solely on nostalgia.

Whitley represents a younger generation finding a place in a long-established group. Asia had been active for 13 or 14 years when he was born in 1995. The album’s connections to Wetton sit alongside a new singer’s performance and a lineup shaped by the band’s current period.

“Echo of You” may be the best-sounding track on Indigo. Together with “The Traveller (Into the Light),” it supports the case that Asia remains relevant in 2026 beyond simply bringing its old logo back for a new release. The album also underscores the songwriting partnership between Downes and Wetton, whose ability to repeatedly find strong tunes is compared with John Lennon and Paul McCartney, or Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

The collection could have been shaped into a 44-minute, two-sided vinyl record, with some songs left out to make a tighter set. Instead, Indigo sprawls somewhat, reflecting the more than a decade since the previous studio album. Its structure combines the singles-focused approach of early Asia with longer pieces that let the musicians explore other directions.

Downes is adapting his progressive-rock career to the digital-file era while continuing to work across several projects. In 2026, three distinct Downes projects are arriving: new albums from Asia and Yes, as well as Trauma, the sixth album from the Downes Braide Association. The related reviews listed alongside the Indigo coverage are “MUSIC REVIEW: Downes Braide Association - Trauma” and “MUSIC REVIEW: Yes - Aurora.”

Indigo fits within Asia’s established sound, while allowing the band’s history to develop. It does not erase or replace the Wetton, Palmer, Howe and Downes chapter, or the Payne-era albums. The new collection instead combines the familiar melodic approach with longer, more experimental material. An official video for “Arcadia” is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy9wwFKJSPw.

The article was written by RBrown@postmedia.com. Readers were invited to bookmark DailyHeraldTribune.com, EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com, and to sign up for the Daily Herald Tribune newsletter. It also asked readers to support journalism by becoming digital subscribers, with subscriptions providing unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, The Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites.