Gorillaz have announced their 7th Album ‘The Mountain’, alongside a tour of the UK and Ireland. The tour will feature a “one off summer headline show” at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The track list for the album will look like this.
01 The Mountain [ft. Dennis Hopper, Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Amaan Ali
Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash]
02 The Moon Cave [ft. Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda
and Black Thought]
03 The Happy Dictator [ft. Sparks]
04 The Hardest Thing [ft. Tony Allen]
05 Orange County [ft. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar]
06 The God of Lying [ft. Idles]
07 The Empty Dream Machine [ft. Black Thought, Johnny Marr and Anoushka
Shankar]
08 The Manifesto [ft. Trueno and Proof]
09 The Plastic Guru [ft. Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar]
10 Delirium [ft. Mark E. Smith]
11 Damascus [ft. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey]
12 The Shadowy Light [ft. Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Ajay Prasanna, Amaan Ali
Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash]
13 Casablanca [ft. Paul Simonon and Johny Marr]
14 The Sweet Prince [ft. Ajay Prasanna, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar]
15 The Sad God [ft. Black Thought, Ajay Prasanna and Anoushka Shankar]
Damon Albarn created Gorillaz in 1998 as a project with artist Jamie Hewlett. The band is said to be sprung out of the duo’s disdain for the popular music at the time and its fictitious portrayal of life amongst celebrities.
The group also allowed the Blur frontman to experiment away from the britpop blanket he got comfortable underneath in the 90s and you can really see how diverse his approach to music can be, throughout their discography.
Out of hatred for superficiality, Gorillaz was born. A fictitious band (besides Albarn himself) featuring 4 animated members: 2-D, vocalist and keyboardist; Murdoc Niccals, Bassist; Noodle – guitar, keyboard and vocals; and Russel Hobbs, the drummer.
It must be said that this isn’t just any silly side project. The band has sold millions of albums worldwide, won a Grammy, multiple Brit Awards and received a Mercury prize nomination. This may be a spawn of curiosity, but it’s captured the hearts of many, and deserves the attention it commands.
The fabricated sensation returned to the stage earlier this month, for a show where phones were banned, and their new music was on display for fans at the London Copper Box Arena. The ‘mystery gig’ turned out to be their new album back to front which featured some familiar faces.
Special guests Johnny Marr, Joe Talbot and Sparks joined the band on stage, in a spectacle of secrecy and brilliance.
Gorillaz have since treated us to a taste of their new album by releasing ‘The Happy Dictator’ featuring Sparks. It’s a beautifully nostalgic critique of the hypocrisy of modern day society and likely the higher powers within.
The oxymoronic title is echoed in the lyricism of the song. “Everything is slowing down yet everything is faster… oh what a happy land we live in’ is a standout statement. It displays a clear confusion with modern life, and ironically proclaims it’s a happy land, when evidently it seems Albarn thinks otherwise.
According to NME: ‘The Mountain’ “includes collaborations with Black Thought, Omar Souleyman, Asha Puthli, Asha Bhosle, Sparks, Gruff Rhys, Kara Jackson, Yasiin Bey, Paul Simonon, IDLES‘ Joe Talbot, Johnny Marr, Ajay Prasanna, Trueno and Anoushka Shankar.
The London Arab Orchestra, Demon Strings, Chris Storr, James Copus and Matthew Gunner also served as featured musicians, while deceased acts like Dennis Hopper, Bobby Womack, De La Soul‘s Dave Jolicoeur, Tony Allen, Proof and the late Mark E Smith of The Fall are billed as Voices from Elsewhere.’
The Album is set for release on March 20 2026. The dates and locations for ‘The Mountain Tour’ are as follows:
March:
21 – Co-op Live, Manchester
22 – BP Pulse Live, Birmingham
24 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow (support from Trueno)
25 – First Direct Arena, Leeds
27 – Utilitia Arena, Cardiff (support from Trueno)
28 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham (support from Trueno)
29 – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool (support from Trueno)
31 – SSE Arena, Belfast
April 1
3Arena, Dublin (support from Trueno)
June 20
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London (support from Sparks and Trueno)
Ticket information can be accessed here.
