We’ve been waiting with bated breath, but finally we have some solid details on the next Gorillaz record, and a stack of new songs for good measure.
Speaking with BBC Radio 1 this morning, Damon Albarn revealed that the album will be titled Humanz, and he drew back the curtain on several tracks we’ll hear on the record.
‘Saturnz Barz’ featuring Popcaan and ‘Andromeda’ featuring D.R.A.M were played for BBC listeners, while Radio X dropped ‘We’ve Got the Power’ featuring Noel Gallagher and Jehnny Beth of Savages, and Beats 1 Radio revealed ‘Ascension’ featuring Vince Staples, Consequence of Sound reports.
The band have also unveiled an animated clip for ‘Saturnz Barz’ that includes small peeks of the other three tracks, and comes in both regular and 360-degree varieties.
Albarn opened up about the record on air, as quoted by Consequence of Sound.
“Simply put, we’re in transition, we’re turning into something else,” he said. “The album kind of came from this dark fantasy. Just imagine, the weirdest, most unpredictable thing that changes everything in the world. How would you feel on that night? Would you go and get drunk? Would you stay at home? Just watch TV? Would you talk to people?”
And, while the record was written before Trump won the Presidential election, the albums themes turned out to be prophetic, Albarn claims. “I suppose we were imagining the idea of Donald Trump. It’s not about Donald Trump at all. But it was imagining that in a way. That was our dark fantasy, and unfortunately that became our reality.”
Despite the political nature of the debut track ‘Hallelujah Money’, Albarn insists that Humanz is a “party, club record,” albeit with a “weird darkness about it.” From Gorillaz, we wouldn’t expect anything less.
Dropping on April 28, Humanz will be released in a standard 14-track version, as well as a deluxe edition with five bonus tracks, and will feature guest appearances by Mavis Staples, Carly Simon, Grace Jones, De La Soul, Pusha T, Danny Brown, and Kelela.
Humanz Tracklist
01. Ascension (feat. Vince Staples)
02. Strobelite (feat. Peven Everett)
03. Saturnz Barz (feat. Popcaan)
04. Momentz (feat. De La Soul)
05. Submission (feat. Danny Brown & Kelela)
06. Charger (feat. Grace Jones)
07. Andromeda (feat. D.R.A.M.)
08. Busted and Blue
09. Carnival (feat. Anthony Hamilton)
10. Let Me Out (feat. Mavis Staples & Pusha T)
11. Sex Murder Party (feat. Jamie Principle & Zebra Katz)
12. She’s My Collar (feat. Kali Uchis)
13. Hallelujah Money (feat. Benjamin Clementine)
14. We Got The Power (feat. Noel Gallagher and Jehnny Beth)
Deluxe edition bonus tracks
15. The Apprentice (feat. Rag’n’bone Man, Zebra Katz & Ray BLK)
16. Halfway To The Halfway House (feat. Peven Everett)
17. Out Of Body (feat. Kilo Kish, Zebra Katz & Imani Voshana
18. Ticker Tape (feat. Carly Simon & Kali Uchis)
19. Circle Of Friendz (feat. Brandon Markell Holmes)
