The side project that eclipsed the original band returns with a beautiful album about grief and loss.
When Damon Albarn of Blur, and Tank Girl artist Jamie Hewlett, announced Gorillaz as a project all the way back in 1998, a lot of eyebrows were raised. What did they mean by a virtual cartoon band? Why is Albarn talking about hip-hop? However, then came the brilliant first single ‘Clint Eastwood’ and all the concerns fell away. It was a brilliant slice of hip-hop that set the template for all that followed. Albarn supplying either a soulful melody, or a spoken word element, whilst big name guest stars provided the fireworks or the unique selling point for each track. ‘Clint Eastwood’ had Del The Funky Homosapien. Hundreds of names have followed.
As the albums have progressed Albarn has grown bolder, fusing of his love of world music into the project and bringing in lesser-known collaborators alongside the international superstars. Blur have 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Gorillaz have 40 million. Whilst the albums have tended to be a little uneven, sometimes a bit sprawling, they have connected big time. A beautiful mix of groove and melancholy propelling the biggest hits.
The Mountain in its full form is quite striking, the brilliant clutch of singles proceeding it managed to hide that the album is all about grief. Both Albarn and Hewlett lost their fathers in the run-up to this album, and this is an album full of contemplation and ghosts. Almost literal ghosts, as Albarn went back into the Gorillaz archives and pulled out material from a host of former collaborators who have since passed away. The God tier level deceased talent includes Dennis Hopper, Bobby Womack, Tony Allen, D12’s Proof and the Fall’s Mark E. Smith.
Albarn has fully embraced his love of Indian music on this album and it is full of classical Indian instruments and Indian musical styles. There are enough vocal fireworks and poppier melodies to stop the casual Gorillaz fan from switching off but it is a long way from what Albarn would have been able to get away with back in 1998. Opener ‘The Mountain’ is pure and authentic Indian sounds, only broken by a spoken word callback from Dennis Hopper. Following track, ‘The Moon Cave’ reassures that the synths and beats have not been forgotten.
‘The Happy Dictator’ was the first single released in this cycle. It is a brilliant story that eternally young geniuses Sparks were at the same event as Albarn and left him a note asking if they could do something together. Albarn obliged, the outcome has grown and grown on me since release. It mocks the way dictators hide the truth and encourage an Orwellian level of doublethink. However, in the context of the album it can be reframed as linked into the feelings and mental gymnastics we experience around the death of a loved one.
‘Orange County’ is one of those insanely catchy Gorillaz tracks that lodges in your head and stays there. It also has the central refrain of the album; the opening lyric is:
“You know the hardest thing
Is to say goodbye to someone you love
That’s the hardest thing.”
As huge fans of IDLES it is wonderful to see Joe Talbot pop-up on ‘The God of Lying.’ It has a much harsher edge that cuts against the previous sweetness of ‘Orange County.’ ‘The Manifesto’ is another OUTRAGEOUSLY brilliant single, world music bent into hip-hop rhythms and marshalled by the magnificent Argentinian rapper Trueno. It totally shifts gears when Proof takes over the mid-section before Trueno reasserts his authority at the end. What a track.
The fifteen-song album had six singles before it, but it would be criminal not to discuss ‘Damascus.’ Omar Souleyman is the Syrian wedding singer propelled to international notoriety through his work with Bjork and Four Tet. All his brilliance is utilised here, alongside Yasiin Bey, the artist formally known as Mos Def. Bey has always been slightly under the radar compared to many of his peers, but he remains one of the most compelling voices in hip-hop.
Amongst the many other megastars on show, former Smith’s guitarist Johnny Marr provides guitar on several tracks, the Clash’s Paul Simonon is on ‘Casablanca’ and it would be impossible not to mention Mark E. Smith’s slightly crazed turn on ‘Delirium.’ Even Super Furry Animal’s Gruff Rhys pops up on ‘The Shadowy Light.’
The first truly essential album of 2026 is here. A sprawling epic, maybe a couple of tracks too long, but held together by a strong and compelling central focus on grieving and loss. Despite the focus on loss there is also a really intense joy to be found here. There is an embrace of musical styles that are often unfairly dismissed in Western culture. Some incredible tracks, some brilliant cameos from an insane roster of talent. 28 years strong, this is some of the finest work ever put out under the Gorillaz branding.
Essential Tracks: ‘The Happy Dictator,’ ‘The Hardest Thing,’ ‘Orange County,’ ‘The God of Lying,’ ‘The Manifesto,’ ‘Delirium’ and ‘Damascus.’
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