Overview
- The Mountain, the group's ninth studio album, arrived February 27 via Gorillaz’s Kong label alongside an eight-minute Jamie Hewlett-directed film.
- The short, made with The Line using hand-painted backgrounds and traditional 2D techniques over 18 months, echoes classic animation and threads the album’s opening and closing tracks.
- Contributors span Anoushka Shankar, Sparks, Johnny Marr, Yasiin Bey, Omar Souleyman and others, with posthumous appearances from Tony Allen, Mark E. Smith, Proof, Dennis Hopper, Bobby Womack and De La Soul’s Dave Jolicoeur.
- Reviews praise the ambition, textures and global palette but split on emotional cohesion, with some critics saying the stylistic breadth dilutes impact.
- Gorillaz have begun touring with an opening show in Los Angeles, announced a UK and Ireland run including a June 20 headline at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and are slated for Saturday Night Live on March 7.