Gorillaz does it again. But this time he doesn’t just cross genres: he
With the collaboration of Syrian icon Omar Souleyman and the timeless Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), “Damascus” is not just a song: it is a celebration of sonic crossbreeding, a pulse that unites trip-hop, Arabic-rooted hip-hop and conscious rap, slowly moving towards a climax that is as physical as it is emotional.
From London to Damascus: a song that builds in movement
As its title suggests, “Damascus” was largely recorded in the Syrian capital, although its DNA was shaped in London, Devon, Mumbai and New York. That geographical transit is heard: the song flows like a journey, it begins contained and ends expanded, almost ceremonial.
The track was composed by Damon Albarn together with Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey, and its structure avoids the immediate hit to go for progressive hypnosis, something very much in line with the more ambitious and less immediate Gorillaz.
Mystery, solidarity and community
“Damascus” wasn’t born on platforms, but on stage. Gorillaz performed it for the first time in September during their mysterious mobile-free ‘House Of Kong’ concert in London, where they also revealed details of their upcoming album and performed it in full in front of a small audience.
Since then, the song has mutated and grown live:
- at the Gaia Festival in Madrid
- and, especially, at the Together For Palestine, the great benefit concert organized by Brian Eno at Wembley Arena.
On this last occasion, Gorillaz reinterpreted the song together with The London Arab Orchestra, elevating its political, emotional and collective charge.
The Mountain is Gorillaz’ most ambitious album yet
“Damascus” is the fourth preview of Gorillaz’ upcoming album, The Mountainwhich will be released on February 27th. The album is already shaping up to be one of the band’s most complex and collaborative projects.
Previous singles:
- “The God Of Lying” (with Idles).
- “The Happy Dictator” (with Sparks).
- “The Manifesto” (with Thunder and the late Proof of D12).
The list of contributors is almost encyclopedic:
Black Thought, Asha Bhosle, Anoushka Shankar, Johnny Marr, Paul Simonon, Gruff Rhys, Kara Jackson, among many others. Even the voices of deceased artists – TonyAllen, Bobby Womack, Mark E. Smith, Dennis Hopper, Dave Jolicoeur (De La Soul)– are credited as “Voices From Elsewhere”.
It is not an album of single songs. It is an emotional archive.
Grief, journey and transformation form the heart of the album
In recent interviews, Damon Albarn explained that The Mountain was born out of a deeply personal experience: the loss of his and Jamie Hewlett’s father, and the trips they both took to India to process the grief.
“India is a very interesting place to carry grief. They have a positive relationship with death.”
Albarn even scattered his father’s ashes in the Ganges, an experience that permeates the spirit of the album: acceptance, transit, spirituality and memory.
“Damascus”, in this context, functions as a bridge between worlds: East and West, the political and the intimate, the physical and the spiritual.
Gorillaz, again at the center of the map
In 2026, Gorillaz will return to the big stages with a tour of the UK and Ireland, culminating in a macro-concert at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as well as a stint at European festivals such as Primavera Sound (Barcelona and Porto), Rock Werchter and Electric Picnic.
But beyond the numbers, “Damascus” makes one thing clear:
Gorillaz remains one of the few projects capable of turning pop music into a truly global language, without falling into superficiality or empty exoticism.
When music becomes a meeting place again
“Damascus” does not shout. It summons.
It does not impose. It connects.
It is a song that breathes world, history and present. A piece that confirms that Gorillaz is not interested in repeating formulas, but in continuing to build bridges.
And in times of noise, that’s almost a radical act.
