Gorillaz Share First Song From New Album
(NLM) Gorillaz will release a brand new studio album titled The Mountain on March 20th, 2026, the first on the band's own new label KONG. First track "The Happy Dictator (feat. Sparks)" is out now along with visualizer.
The Mountain is Gorillaz' ninth studio album, an expansive sonic landscape of instruments and sounds, richly layered with voices, melodies and addictive beats, spanning a collection of 15 songs that embody the very essence of Gorillaz' collaborative ethos. The record features an extraordinary list of artists and collaborators including: Ajay Prasanna, Amaan & Ayaan Ali Bangash, Anoushka Shankar, Asha Bhosle, Asha Puthli, Bizarrap, Black Thought, Gruff Rhys, IDLES, Jalen Ngonda, Johnny Marr, Kara Jackson, Omar Souleyman, Paul Simonon, Sparks, Trueno and Yasiin Bey; as well as the voices of friends and collaborators who have gone before us, including Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Dennis Hopper, Mark E Smith, Proof and Tony Allen. The Mountain is a playlist for a party on the border between this world and whatever happens next, exploring the journey of life and the thrill of existence.
Produced by Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egglenton and Remi Kabaka Jr., plus Bizarrap (Orange County), The Mountain was recorded at Studio 13 in London and Devon, various locations in India including Mumbai, New Delhi, Rajasthan and Varanasi, as well as Ashgabat, Damascus, Los Angeles, Miami and New York. The album features artists performing in five languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish and Yoruba.
The artwork for The Mountain sees visual artist Jamie Hewlett's distinctive, yet ever-evolving, style illustrate the world of Gorillaz with detailed and beautiful intricacy across a series of hand-drawn images which capture Murdoc, Noodle, Russel and 2D's time in India working on the new album, available both as a book and as a collection of 12x12 prints.
"A quarter of a century on, Albarn and Hewlett are still legions ahead of the pack." - LONDON EVENING STANDARD
Today's announcement also comes with news of The Mountain Tour which will visit arenas across the UK and Ireland in Spring 2026, with support from Trueno on selected dates, and follows the sold-out 5-star House of Kong exhibition and four triumphant performances at Copper Box Arena which saw The Guardian hail Gorillaz as "still riveting and relevant", and included a very special surprise performance of The Mountain for fans at last week's Mystery Show. The Mountain Tour will kick off in Manchester on March 21st, 2026, with dates in Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Cardiff, Nottingham, Liverpool, Belfast and Dublin; plus a one-off headline show at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday June 20th, 2026, with support from Sparks and Trueno.
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