Damon Albarn has shared that he’s been “incredibly busy making music” and revealed some details for the next Gorillaz album.
The Blur/Gorillaz frontman told The Sun that he’s kept himself occupied musically since the reunion of Blur. He highlighted some of his most recent ventures, saying “I was doing an opera in Paris and starting on the new Gorillaz record. It’s been crazy, it really has. But the world’s gone crazy so it doesn’t seem in any way strange.”
He said that he’s back in the creative swing of songwriting, saying “I’ve been incredibly busy making music — it’s what I love to do. I suppose I’m going to have to share some of it soon. Inevitably there will always be a dustbin bag full of stuff that needs dropping off at the recycling!”
In another interview with The Times a few days ago, Albarn predicted the next Gorillaz album would drop in 2026. He also revealed that the new record is in four languages.
Some may find this revelation feels in line with Gorillaz, given their eclectic sound and incorporation of world music into their other releases. Throughout their discography they’ve taken influences from Jamaican dub, Latin, African and Asian music. The last record from the virtual band came in 2023, with ‘Cracker Island’, their first number one on the UK album chart since ‘Demon Days‘ in 2005.
Gorillaz are scheduled to return to the stage later this year, with four one-off shows in London at the Copper Box Arena. The shows will see them perform three of their classic albums in full – their self-titled debut on August 29, ‘Demon Days’ on the following night, ‘Plastic Beach’ on September 2, and a “mystery show” on September 3.
Fans will get to see the original visuals and structures from the early live shows of each album, as they perform each iconic record in full.
Alongside their live shows, Gorillaz are celebrating their 25th anniversary with a new immersive exhibition in London, also running at the Copper Box Arena from August 8 to September 3. In a press release, the “House of Kong” exhibition is described as “a journey through the band’s life of misadventures, musical innovation, and ground-breaking virtual ways.”
You can read MXDWN’s coverage on the upcoming exhibition here.
