'80s Rock Band Announces New Album for the First Time in 12 Years

Rock supergroup Asia has some exciting news for their fans.

It was announced on Monday that the English supergroup will be releasing their first album in 12 years. Titled Indigo, the new LP is set to be out on Nov. 6 via Frontiers Music Srl. This marks Asia’s 14th studio album since their formation in 1981. The lead single, “The Traveller (Into The Light),” and its music video are available to stream now, and the full album can be pre-saved on Frontier Music Srl’s official website.

“The first track off the album is a high-power-energy piece with a few elements of prog trickery but retaining the accessible-chorus block, which was always a signature of Asia’s music from the very beginning,” Asia keyboardist Geoff Downes told Blabbermouth.

Downes is the only original member of Asia, while new members Harry Whitley, John Mitchell and Virgil Donati joined in 2024.

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When Asia was formed in London in 1981 by progressive rockstars Downes and Steve Howe of Yes, John Wetton of King Crimson and Uriah Heep, and Carl Palmer of Emerson and Lake & Palmer, it quickly became one of the most successful acts from the United Kingdom in the 1980s. They released their self-titled debut a year after their formation, and it remains their best-selling album and was listed by Billboard as the top album in the United States in 1982. The lead single, “Heat of the Moment,” reached Top 40 in various countries and hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock chart.

The group has always been proud of “Heat of the Moment,” which they still perform in their concerts today.

“Prog still lived deeply inside the four of us, but with Asia we sliced away the fat,” Wetton said while reflecting on their formation, according to Louder. Wetton was also extremely proud of the lyrics and says that “it’s the only song I’ve ever heard that begins with an apology. It didn’t fare too badly for something thrown into the pot as a bit of an experiment right at the end of the session.”

Despite their huge success in the 1980s, it caused Asia to briefly split from 1986 to 1989 due to creative differences and commercial pressures. Wetton and Palmer were able to reunite the band for a European tour, but with a different lineup. Since they reunited in 1989, Asia has released 10 more albums and gone on multiple tours around the world.

Downes described the album as “a joy to make,” and started writing the album with Wetton back in 2015, a year after they released their most recent album, Gravitas. Unfortunately, in January 2017, Wetton passed away in his sleep at 67 years old, and was battling illness and health issues.

“John Wetton and I started putting our ideas together, aiming to get into the studio once more. It was with great sadness that John became seriously ill during this time, and we had put [our plans on hold], and sadly John passed away before we could continue and complete it,” Downes described. “It was always in my mind that at some point it would be a shame not to finish off some of these songs and finally release them as part of an Asia album.”

Indigo has 16 tracks, including collaborations with Steve Howe and Mike Portnoy. Most of the album was recorded throughout 2025 and produced by the band, with mixing and mastering done by John Mitchell.

“The album was really a joy to make. I forged a close writing relationship with Harry, and I felt how great was to be working with someone who had very similar musical influences and taste once again, just as I did with John,” Downes said in a statement. “I feel that this is one of our best albums to date. The songs are deep in musicality, with a powerful and original performance, dynamics and strong lyrical undertones — it’s an album that hopefully our fans will widely appreciate, and support our cause to put Asia back on the map.”

Indigo will be released on streaming platforms on Nov. 6. The lead single, “The Traveller (Into The Light),” is out now.

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