GORILLAZ Announce ‘Mountain’ LP With Lead Single Featuring Sparks

When Blur frontman, Damon Albarn, and comic artist/illustrator, Jamie Hewlett (Tank Girl) first devised the idea of a virtual band, I doubt they expected their creation to remain this relevant nearly 3 decades later. Gorillaz was formed as a reaction to the boy band trend of the late 90s and the vacuousness of the music industry. They’d create a project of their own, but one that’s comprised of fictional characters and prioritizes concept and music ahead of ego and celebrity. Hewlett‘s illustrated rock stars would be front and center this time. Albarn had experienced that sort of superficial attention enough as a Britpop icon. When the music and the visuals bring each other to life, there’s no other option than to focus on he art.

Over the years, Gorillaz has become an international phenomenon that continues to transcend generations. They are my 14-year-old‘s favorite band, and his longtime dream finally came true when the characters were added to Fortnite a few weeks ago. Over 8 studio albums beginning with their 2001 debut, Gorillaz has collaborated with an endless string of legends, ranging from Del The Funky Homosapien, MF DOOM, De La Soul, Dan The Automator, Dangermouse, Vince Staples, and Danny Brown, to Ike Turner, Tina Weymouth, Lou Reed, Stevie Nicks, Mick Jones, Jean Michel-Jarre, Grace Jones, Robert Smith, and Mavis Staples. That list is only a small selection, excluding live releases, B-sides, or compilations. 

Today, Gorillaz announces that their ninth studio LP, The Mountain, will be released on March 20th, 2026. The upcoming album will feature appearances by previous collaborators, Yasiin Bey, Omar Souleyman, Bobby Womack, Paul Simonon, and Gruff Rhys, as well as heavy involvement by Black Thought, Johnny Marr, Anoushka Shankar, and Ajay Prasana. There are even appearances by Mark E. Smith, Tony Allen, and Dennis Hopper, all of whom previously appeared on Gorillaz tracks, but are now deceased.

The following quote was attributed to Gorillaz animated drummer, Russel Hobbs, in the press release:

“As space dust we are here forever and that’s a mighty long time. This is a musical meditation infused with light. A journey of the soul, with beats…“

Preorders for The Mountain are currently available on various formats. Among them are standard compact disc, deluxe double-CD (includes a bonus disc of live tracks from a recent “mystery show” where the album was premiered), a yellow wax indie vinyl variant, a book edition vinyl (housed in a wide-spine book of original artwork by Jamie Hewlett), and a vinyl box set with art prints. Visit the Gorillaz web store for details.

The Mountain Tour will kick off in the UK & Ireland in March 2026 with more dates to be announced soon. Check out the full list of current dates below, following the first single, “The Happy Dictator (feat. Sparks).”

THE MOUNTAIN TOUR