The world of Gorillaz was established on 26 March 2001 with the release of an eponymous debut album from a band like no other, before or since. 2D, Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs and guitar prodigy Noodle burst onto the global stage following a collision of mishaps, meetings and pure luck to blow up a pre-digital world with their colourful backstory and ground-breaking virtual ways.

The combined creative genius of Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett set a new standard of what was possible, with dazzling visuals and a string of smash hits including ‘Clint Eastwood’, ’19-2000’ and ‘Tomorrow Comes Today’ that – to this day - feels like a glimpse into the future.

TRACK LISTING

1. Re-Hash
2. 5/4
3. Tomorrow Comes Today
4. New Genious (Brother)
5. Clint Eastwood
6. Man Research (Clapper)
7. Punk
8. Sound Check (Gravity)
9. Double Bass
10. Rock the House
11. 19-2000
12. Latin Simone (Que Pasa Contigo)
13. Starshine
14. Slow Country
15. M1 A1
16. Clint Eastwood (Ed Case/Sweetie Irie Re-fix Edit)

The second studio album from Gorillaz, 'Demon Days' saw the introduction of the band’s aptitude for creative collaboration with guests such as De La Soul, MF Doom, Neneh Cherry, Roots Manuva and Shaun Ryder. Released to critical acclaim in 2005, this "genre-busting, contemporary pop milestone" [MOJO] featured now-signature tracks including the Grammy- winning ‘Feel Good Inc.’, ‘Dirty Harry’ and ‘DARE’, as well as the expansion of the Gorillaz world with innovations across visuals, multi-media and animation.

TRACK LISTING

1. Intro
2. Last Living Souls
3. Kids With Guns
4. O Green World
5. Dirty Harry
6. Feel Good Inc.
7. El Mañana
8. Every Planet We Reach Is Dead
9. November Has Come
10. All Alone
11. White Light
12. Dare
13. Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey’s Head
14. Don’t Get Lost In Heaven
15. Demon Days

Five years on from the release of 'Demon Days', Gorillaz made a critically-acclaimed return in 2010 with third studio album 'Plastic Beach', a collection of 16 tracks featuring a galaxy of stellar guests including: Bashy, Bobby Womack, De La Soul, Gruff Rhys, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Kano, Little Dragon, Lou Reed, Mark E Smith, Mick Jones, Mos Def, The National Orchestra For Arabic Music, Paul Simonon, Sinfonia ViVA and Snoop Dogg. The “genius... kaleidoscopic musical ambition” [The Guardian] of Damon Albarn once again defied sonic expectations to deliver the band’s most pop album to date, with singles including ‘Stylo’, ‘Superfast Jellyfish’ and ‘On Melancholy Hill’. The recording sessions saw Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs, 2D and Noodle take up residence on the most deserted spot on the planet, Plastic Beach HQ - a secret floating island deep in the South Pacific, made up of the detritus, debris and washed up remnants of humanity.

TRACK LISTING

1. Orchestral Intro
2. Welcome To The World Of The Plastic Beach
3. White Flag
4. Rhinestone Eyes
5. Stylo
6. Superfast Jellyfish
7. Empire Ants
8. Glitter Freeze
9. Some Kind Of Nature
10. On Melancholy Hill
11. Broken
12. Sweepstakes
13. Plastic Beach
14. To Binge
15. Cloud Of Unknowing
16. Pirate Jet

Gorillaz were, from the very beginning, as much conceptual art as they were a musical group. A collaboration between Albarn and visual artist Jaimie Hewlett, the project was conceived as a “virtual band” that could comment on the empty and manufactured nature of popular culture. They quickly expanded into videos, books, comics, and games which detailed a complex and surreal mythology and engaged with a variety of social and political issues.

But Plastic Beach took this to a new level. Damon Albarn's encounter with plastic pollution at Hallsands Beach inspired the album's meditations on the Anthropocene – an epoch marked by significant human impact on Earth's geology and ecosystems. The book positions Plastic Beach as a concept album that reflects on the Anthropocene, combining commentary on environmental degradation and consumer culture with attempts to imagine a future beyond the rapacity and destructiveness of this era.

'The Mountain' is Gorillaz 9th studio album. The album is a collection of 15 new tracks featuring artists and collaborators including: Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Asha Bhosle, Asha Puthli, Bizarrap, Black Thought, Gruff Rhys, Idles, Jalen Ngonda, Johnny Marr, Kara Jackson, Omar Souleyman, Paul Simonon, Sparks, Trueno and Yasiin Bey; as well as the voices of Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Dennis Hopper, Mark E. Smith, Proof and Tony Allen. Produced by Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egglenton, Remi Kabaka Jr. and Bizarrap (Orange County), The Mountain was recorded in London, Devon, Miami, Jaipur, Mumbai, New Delhi and Rishikesh; and features artists performing in five languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish and Yoruba.

The artwork for 'The Mountain' sees Jamie Hewlett’s distinct, yet ever-evolving, style illustrate the world of Gorillaz with an ever more detailed and beautiful intricacy across a series of hand-drawn illustrations. Circumstances find Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs, 2D and Noodle in India, where our heroes are immersed in the rhythms of mystical music-making as they navigate the mountainous terrain of this thing called life.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Mountain (feat. Dennis Hopper, Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Amaan & Ayaan Ali Bangash)
2. The Moon Cave (feat. Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda And Black Thought)
3. The Happy Dictator (feat. Sparks)
4. The Hardest Thing (feat. Tony Allen)
5. Orange County (feat. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson And Anoushka Shankar)
6. The God Of Lying (feat. IDLES)
7. The Empty Dream Machine (feat. Black Thought, Johnny Marr And Anoushka Shankar)
8. The Manifesto (feat. Trueno And Proof)
9. The Plastic Guru (feat. Johnny Marr And Anoushka Shankar)
10. Delirium (feat. Mark E. Smith)
11. Damascus (feat. Omar Souleyman And Yasiin Bey)
12. The Shadowy Light (feat. Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Ajay Prasanna, Amaan & Ayaan Ali Bangash)
13. Casablanca (feat. Paul Simonon And Johnny Marr)
14. The Sweet Prince (feat. Ajay Prasanna, Johnny Marr And Anoushka Shankar)
15. The Sad God (feat. Black Thought, Ajay Prasanna And Anoushka Shankar)

‘Cracker Island’ is the eight studio album from Gorillaz, an energetic, upbeat, genre-expansive collection of 10 tracks featuring yet another stellar line-up of artist collaborators: Thundercat, Tame Impala, Bad Bunny, Stevie Nicks, Adeleye Omotayo, Bootie Brown and Beck. Recorded in London and LA earlier this year, it is produced by Gorillaz, Remi Kabaka jr. and eight-time Grammy Award-winning producer / multi-instrumentalist / songwriter extraordinaire Greg Kurstin.

The virtual band exploded onto TikTok gaining over 2.1 m followers in the space of a few months where they continue to innovate, taking virtual characters where no character has been before…

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Another neon synth-heavy outing from Albarn & Co. This time sees previous collaborators Beck & Bootie Brown return, while inviting new assistance in the form of Tame Impala, Stevie Nicks (!) and Thundercat! R&B-tinged electronica, disco and synth-pop grooves atop jazzy bass and huge percussion loops. Unmistakeable, classic Gorillaz.

TRACK LISTING

1. Cracker Island (feat. Thundercat)
2. Oil (feat. Stevie Nicks)
3. The Tired Influencer
4. Tarantula
5. Silent Running (feat. Adeleye Omotayo)
6. New Gold (feat. Tame Impala And Bootie Brown)
7. Baby Queen
8. Tormenta (feat. Bad Bunny)
9. Skinny Ape
10. Possession Island (feat. Beck)

Gorillaz started the year with Episode 1 - ‘Momentary Bliss ft. slowthai and Slaves’ - of Song Machine, a whole new concept from one of the most innovative bands around. Now, six episodes in, Noodle, 2D, Murdoc and Russel have visited Morocco and Paris, London and Lake Como, as well as travelling all the way to the moon, and Gorillaz is ready to bring you the full collection titled Song Machine: Season One - Strange Timez, out on 23rd October 2020.

Song Machine is the ongoing and ever-evolving process which has seen Gorillaz joined by an expanding roster of collaborators captured live in Kong Studios and beyond. The result is an expansive collection of tracks embracing a myriad of sounds, styles, genres and attitudes from a breath-taking line-up of guest artists including Beck, Elton John, Fatoumata Diawara, Georgia, Kano, Leee John, Octavian, Peter Hook, Robert Smith, Roxani Arias, ScHoolboy Q, Slaves, Slowthai, St Vincent and 6LACK.
To date the project has seen over 100million streams on all tracks already and the band’s biggest period of sustained growth across both listenership and fanbase growth. All this before the album has even been announced!

Virtual band Gorillaz is singer 2D, bassist Murdoc Niccals, guitarist Noodle and drummer Russel Hobbs. Created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, their acclaimed eponymous debut album was released in 2001. The BRIT and Grammy Award winning band’s subsequent albums are Demon Days (2005), Plastic Beach (2010), The Fall (2011), Humanz (2017) and The Now Now (2018). A truly global phenomenon, Gorillaz have achieved success in entirely ground-breaking ways, touring the world from San Diego to Syria, winning numerous awards including the coveted Jim Henson Creativity Honor.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: You will have heard a few of these already, but it's nice to finally have all of the disparate releases compiled into one handy to pop-on collection. The deluxe CD has even more of these fruitful collaborations with some of the most recognisable names in modern music. It's a diverse and entertaining selection, and one that will have fans keen for a follow-up.

TRACK LISTING

1. Strange Timez (feat. Robert Smith)
2. The Valley Of The Pagans (feat. Beck)
3. The Lost Chord (feat. Leee John)
4. Pac-Man (feat. ScHoolboy Q)
5. Chalk Tablet Towers (feat. St Vincent)
6. The Pink Phantom (feat. Elton John And 6LACK)
7. Aries (feat. Peter Hook And Georgia)
8. Friday 13th (feat. Octavian)
9. Dead Butterflies (feat. Kano And Roxani Arias)
10. Désolé (feat. Fatoumata Diawara) [Extended Version]
11. Momentary Bliss (feat. Slowthai And Slaves)

Deluxe CD And Deluxe Vinyl Box Set Tracklist:
Disc 1
1. Strange Timez (feat. Robert Smith)
2. The Valley Of The Pagans (feat. Beck)
3. The Lost Chord (feat. Leee John)
4. Pac-Man (feat. ScHoolboy Q)
5. Chalk Tablet Towers (feat. St Vincent)
6. The Pink Phantom (feat. Elton John And 6LACK)
7. Aries (feat. Peter Hook And Georgia)
8. Friday 13th (feat. Octavian)
9. Dead Butterflies (feat. Kano And Roxani Arias)
10. Désolé (feat. Fatoumata Diawara) [Extended Version]
11. Momentary Bliss (feat. Slowthai And Slaves)

Disc 2
12. Opium (feat. EARTHGANG)
13. Simplicity (feat. Joan As Police Woman)
14. Severed Head (feat. Goldlink And Unknown Mortal Orchestra)
15. With Love To An Ex (feat Moonchild Sanelly)
16. MLS (feat. JPEGMAFIA And CHAI)
17. How Far? (feat. Tony Allen And Skepta)

A brand new studio album from Gorillaz titled The Now Now will be released by Parlophone Records on 29th June.

The Now Now is 11 all-new songs from the World’s Most Successful Virtual Act, produced by Gorillaz, with James Ford and Remi Kabaka, and recorded in London, in February this year.

The album sessions for The Now Now saw the band largely eschewing guest stars, taking it back to the core creative crew: blue-haired, sweet-natured dreamer 2D on vocals; whip-smart Japanese badass Noodle on guitar; not forgetting Brooklyn-born philosopher and the meat–behind-the-beat Russel Hobbs on drums. And with Murdoc Niccals temporarily indisposed, bass duties on the new album have been taken up by erstwhile Gangreen Gang member Ace.

TRACK LISTING

1. Humility (feat. George Benson)
2. Tranz
3. Hollywood (feat. Snoop Dogg & Jamie Principle)
4. Kansas
5. Sorcererz
6. Idaho
7. Lake Zurich
8. Magic City
9. Fire Flies
10. One Percent
11. Souk Eye

The Gorillaz return for their newest offering since 2010's 'Plastic Beach'. Having amped up the guest-factor on this release, there is a whole host of influence from all over the musical spectrum. The Peven Everett number, 'Strobelite' for instance is a luminescent dancefloor house number, complete with soaring vocals and thumping bassy rolls, lots of filters and clanging sweeps, all topped with a smooth-as-silk string synth overlay. 

Move along to 'Charger' though and we get the scary/alluring big baddie vox of disco-not-disco legend Grace Jones, before sweeping spookily into Albarn's dulcet Gorillaz voice. Backed by an industrious clanging synth sweep and charged percussives, it slowly segues into anthemic swirl of grooving disco before fading into the solemn follower, 'Andromeda'.

By integrating a diverse selection of supplimentary talent, Gorillaz have managed to increase the scope of their already venerable musical palette, and absorb all sorts of influence along the way. 'Humanz' is littered with references to classic electronic music in all it's forms but still relies heavily upon that good old-fashioned songwriting we're all so keen on, providing their most diverse offering yet, whilst not sacrificing the cohesion and flow that has set them in such good stead so far. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Intro: I Switched My Robot Off
2. Ascension (feat. Vince Staples)
3. Strobelite (feat. Peven Everett)
4. Saturnz Barz (feat. Popcaan)
5. Momentz (feat. De La Soul)
6. Interlude: The Non-conformist Oath
7. Submission (feat. Danny Brown & Kelela)
8. Charger (feat. Grace Jones)
9. Interlude: Elevator Going Up
10. Andromeda (feat. D.R.A.M.)
11. Busted And Blue
12. Interlude: Talk Radio
13. Carnival (feat. Anthony Hamilton)
14. Let Me Out (feat. Mavis Staples & Pusha T)
15. Interlude: Penthouse
16. Sex Murder Party (feat. Jamie Principle & Zebra Katz)
17. She's My Collar (feat. Kali Uchis)
18. Interlude: The Elephant
19. Halleujah Money (feat. Benjamin Clementine)
20. We Got The Power (feat. Jehnny Beth)

Bonus Tracks On Special Edition CD
1. Interlude: New World
2. The Apprentice (feat. Rag‘n’Bone Man, Zebra Katz & RAY BLK)
3. Halfway To The Halfway House (feat. Peven Everett)
4. Out Of Body (feat. Kilo Kish, Zebra Katz & Imani Vonshà)
5. Ticker Tape (feat. Carly Simon & Kali Uchis)
6. Circle Of Friendz (feat. Brandon Markell Holmes)