Gorillaz are back. Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett present The Mountain, their new studio album that will be released on March 20, 2026 on the band’s own label, Kong. The successor to Cracker Island (2023) arrives with 15 songs and an unprecedented international deployment, both in production and collaborations.
The first preview is “Happy Dictator”, an explosive track featuring Sparks that is already available on digital platforms and sets the tone for an album that promises to be one of the most ambitious of the virtual group’s career.
A global journey in sounds and languages
The Mountain was produced by Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egglenton and Remi Kabaka Jr. with the collaboration of Argentina’s Bizarrap, and recorded in multiple locations around the world: from London and Devon, to India (Mumbai, New Delhi, Rajasthan, Benares), Turkmenistan, Syria, Los Angeles, Miami and New York.
As usual in the Gorillaz universe, the album features a list of luxury guests, this time performing in five languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish and Yoruba. Collaborators include Idles, Kara Jackson, Yasiin Bey, Johnny Marr, Black Thought, Anoushka Shankar and Omar Souleyman.
The surprise comes with the inclusion of vocals from deceased artists such as Bobby Womack, Dave “Trugoy the Dove” Jolicoeur, Dennis Hopper, Mark E. Smith, Proof and legendary drummer Tony Allen, making The Mountain an album that also connects with musical memory.
The tracklist: a mosaic of sounds
The album gathers pieces such as:
- “The Mountain” (ft. Dennis Hopper, Anoushka Shankar, Ajay Prasanna, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash)
- “The Moon Cave” (ft. Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Black Thought, Jalen Ngonda).
- “Orange County” (ft. Bizarrap and Kara Jackson).
- “The God of Lying” (ft. Idles).
- “Damascus” (ft. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey).
- “Casablanca” (ft. Paul Simonon and Johnny Marr).
and many more, in a journey that mixes Hindustani folk, alternative rock, hip hop and electronic experimentation.
The Mountain Tour
Along with the launch, Gorillaz confirm a UK and Ireland tour, which will start on March 21 in Manchester and will go through Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Cardiff, Nottingham, Liverpool, Belfast and Dublin. The biggest date will come on June 20 in London, at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium.
Some dates will have the special participation of Trueno and Sparks, adding even more strength to a show that promises to be monumental.
A new chapter in the history of Gorillaz
With The Mountain, Albarn and Hewlett once again expand the Gorillaz concept into unexplored territories, mixing cultures, languages and artists from different generations. A global, choral and risky album that reaffirms the band’s ability to reinvent itself two decades after its creation.
