The Mountain (Gorillaz album)

The first mention of Gorillaz's ninth album came from an interview with Damon Albarn ahead of their headlining Coachella 2023 performance, commenting that it would "take [Albarn & Jamie Hewlett] somewhere [they've] never been before".^[10] Albarn further described it as a "paradigm shift" and "very different" in a July 2023 interview with the Broken Record podcast.^[11] Later, in a December 2023 interview for Les Inrockuptibles, Albarn stated that work would begin on the album following the completion of The Magic Flute II: La Malédiction, his adaptation of The Magic Flute Part Two, and that he and Hewlett would travel to India to do so.^[12] In March 2025, Albarn told Les Inrockuptibles that the album was nearing completion, and in a later interview with Radio Nova he mentioned it would be complete in six weeks' time.^[13][14]

Albarn and Hewlett both experienced the loss of close family members prior to their time in India. Both described the album as a cohesive and conceptual work exploring ideas of death and the afterlife through the band's fictional characters. Hewlett said people listening to the album are "supposed to listen to it from beginning to end", saying that they were "trying to bring back that idea of taking time to invest in something, instead of this culture of scrolling".^[9] The album's name was inspired by the duo's first visit to Amber Fort in Jaipur, as well as a mountain they visited in western China during the production of the opera Monkey: Journey to the West.^[15]

On 3 September 2025, the album was revealed and performed live in its entirety as the final "mystery show" of four shows coinciding with Gorillaz's 25th anniversary "House of Kong" museum and art exhibition in London, which also saw them perform the entirety of the band's first three albums: Gorillaz (2001), Demon Days (2005) and Plastic Beach (2010).^[16] Eight days later, the band officially announced the album, revealing the title, cover artwork, and the original release date of 20 March 2026 and releasing the lead single "The Happy Dictator" concurrently.^[17] A deluxe version of the album was also later announced, as well as a Special Edition a few days after the album's release.^[18] The album was initially announced for release on 20 March 2026,^[19] before being brought forward to 27 February 2026. The album's linear notes states that it is dedicated to both Albarn and Hewlett's fathers, Amo, and past Gorillaz collaborators: Lou Reed, Ibrahim Ferrer, Dennis Hopper, Proof, Mark E. Smith, Tony Allen, Bobby Womack, David Jolicoeur, Ike Turner, Terry Hall, MF DOOM and Craig Duffy.^[20]

In keeping with the album’s themes, Damon Albarn decided to include unused vocal takes from previous Gorillaz collaborators who had passed away, including soul singer Bobby Womack; rapper David Jolicoeur from De La Soul; actor Dennis Hopper; English vocalist Mark E. Smith of English post-punk band the Fall; rapper Proof from D12; and drummer Tony Allen,^[21] the last of whom Albarn had collaborated with extensively throughout his career, including as part of the band the Good, the Bad & the Queen. The vocal takes that were used on the album were either unused or alternate vocal takes from prior recording sessions, with the only condition that Albarn imposed upon himself and the production team was that they would not use any vocal takes that had been used on any previously released material.^[22][23] "I just thought, if we're going to talk about the subject of death, I need some people who are dead to help me talk about it", said Albarn.^[24] Albarn had also wanted to include vocals from the late Terry Hall, after he collaborated with the band on their 2001 standalone single "911", but found that the engineer of the session had removed any unused vocals.^[25] Albarn had also wanted to include unused vocals from the late rapper MF DOOM, whom they had previously collaborated with on "November Has Come" from their second album, Demon Days; however, was unable to do so, as Albarn discovered that the material from their sessions together had already been used by the album's producer, Danger Mouse, on another project.^[26]

The album's opening song, "The Mountain", was recorded after Albarn and Hewlett visited Amber Fort in Rajasthan. Albarn recorded a musician playing a Rajasthan folk song on a ravanahatha, which formed the basis of the song, which Albarn later re-worked in his hotel room. Albarn then recorded the song with the Hindu Jea Band Jaipur, in Jaipur.^[27][28] The vocals of the late Dennis Hopper can be heard on the song, which come from multiple outtakes of Hopper's appearance on "Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head" from Demon Days.^[24][29]

The lead single, "The Happy Dictator", was inspired by Albarn's visit to Turkmenistan, where he learned of the dictator Saparmurat Niyazov, also known as Turkmenbasi. In an interview with Jack Saunders on BBC Radio 1, Albarn said of the song: "The point of 'The Happy Dictator' is that the Turkmenbasi wanted everyone in Turkmenistan to only think happy thoughts and sleep unaffected by the doom of the world, and just keep everything upbeat, so he kind of banned all bad news. When I was there, I was kind of inspired by that".^[30] The song features the American band Sparks – a collaboration which came about after the band left a note in Albarn's dressing room at the Primavera Sound Festival encouraging him to reach out to them if he wished to collaborate in the future. The band hinted at a collaboration between the two with an Instagram post of the group in Albarn's studio in London.^[31][32]

The song "Orange County" features guest contributions from Anoushka Shankar and Kara Jackson, as well as additional production from Bizarrap, who also produced an alternative mix of the song.^[33] Albarn was introduced to Jackson's music through Little Simz, who the band had previously worked with on the Humanz B-side "Garage Palace".^[34] Albarn had originally planned for the song to feature Mexican singer and rapper Peso Pluma, and even travelled to his recording studio in Orange County. Although the collaboration ultimately did not come to fruition, it inspired the song's title.^[35]

The album's second single, "The Manifesto", features late rapper Proof, whom the band had worked with on "911" in 2001, as well as Argentinian rapper Trueno, with Proof's contributions believed to be an unused freestyle from those sessions.^[36] The song also features an uncredited appearance from flautist Ajay Shankar Prasanna. Prasanna, who recorded his contributions in New Delhi, chose to play Dhani and Malkauns ragas on the song.^[37] In an interview with Zane Lowe on Beats 1, Albarn and Hewlett revealed that the song's name is in part a reference to the band's original manifesto, in which Albarn and Hewlett had specified that the band's drummer, Russel Hobbs, would be able to call on the spirits of deceased musicians to collaborate with.^[38] The song also features contributions brothers Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, the Jea Band Jaipur, and the Mountain Choir.^[39]

"The Plastic Guru" was inspired by a visit Albarn and Hewlett took to an ashram in Rishikesh. They later realised, however, that the guru they encountered had already researched them in advance. The meeting became increasingly uncomfortable, culminating with the pair seated beside the guru during a ceremony on the banks of the Ganges, where they discovered the event was being broadcast on television across India. Hewlett said of the encounter: "That was the only one, of all the beautiful experiences in India, that I felt a little bit jaded by." The encounter influenced the song's title and creation.^[40] The band had intended to include unused vocals from late American musician Lou Reed – whom they had previously collaborated with on "Some Kind of Nature", from Plastic Beach – on the song. However, Reed's estate did not give the band permission to do so, as Reed had left strict instructions that his music must not be used posthumously.^[36] The band instead re-recorded Reed's original lyrics through a voice synthesizer to resemble HAL 9000 from Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.^[41][42]

"Damascus" was originally recorded for inclusion on the band's third album, Plastic Beach; however, the song was left off the finished project in favour of the song "Sweepstakes". In a 2023 interview with Zane Lowe, Albarn confirmed the original title was "Fresh Arrivals", and featured Yasiin Bey and Syrian dabke artist Omar Souleyman. The song marks Bey's third collaboration with the group following the aforementioned "Sweepstakes" and the single "Stylo".^[43][44] Speaking of the collaboration with The National, Souleyman said: "Of course, I was pleased that Gorillaz reached out to me, because they are a huge band, even though I felt the weight of responsibility in front of such a major group, the conversation through music was easier than a conversation through words. I don't think Gorillaz chose me because I'm a famous name, but because I serve the band's idea of experimentation and breaking traditional moulds, the collaboration was a mutual addition: I bring the voice and the musical background, and they give me an important, well-known platform to present my art."^[45] The song was nominated for "Best Contemporary Song" for the 2026 Ivor Novello Awards.^[46]

The song "The Shadowy Light" features guest contributions from Gruff Rhys, Ajay Prasanna, Amaan Ali Bangash, Ayaan Ali Bangash and Asha Bhosle. Bhosle, who sings the Hindi hook "Majhi Re Majhi" on the song (which she had also recorded earlier in her career), had her words written by lyricist and dialogue writer Kausar Munir. Speaking of the song, Bhosle said: "I was hesitant to work on this album of Gorillaz, but when I heard the music track and the lyrics, it triggered something deep inside me. This was not one of those everyday kinds of songs. The lyrics held deep meaning, and I felt moved enough to accept this assignment."^[37] She further elaborated on the song's lyrics in a joint interview with Vogue India: "In one part of 'The Shadowy Light', I sing, 'Chal mere raahi, gehra hain paani, mujhe jaana hain uss paar.' I'm telling the boatman to ferry me across the river, which is my life's journey: my birth, my relationships, my dedication to music, my achievements, my duties as a mother, daughter, sister, wife and Indian. The boatman is a metaphor for my music, which has guided me across this river of life. When I get to the other side, my journey will be complete and I will attain moksha. If you listen carefully, you will be able to discern thousands of sounds floating around us. I shall become one of them. This freedom to become one with nature is what awaits me on the other side of the river."^[15] Bhosle's contributions were recorded at her apartment in Mumbai, with Albarn playing the harmonium, while the album's producer, James Ford recorded Bhosle's contributions with a boom mic.^[47][48] "The Shadowy Light", Bhosle, and her 1971 song "Dum Maro Dum", are also referenced by rapper Black Thought on the song "The Empty Dream Machine".^[37] The band had previously attempted to work with Bhosle during the production of Plastic Beach, although the collaboration never came to fruition.^[49]

Niloy Ahsan worked with the band on the deluxe edition bonus track, "Bolly Noir", in which Ahsan sings in the dhrupad vocal style, one of the oldest in Hindustani classical music.^[18] Speaking of the collaboration, Ahsan further elaborated, saying: "During the recording, I was simply aligning breath and sound with the Tanpura. This is Nāda yoga; the yoga of sound. My Guru used to say that God resides between two consecutive notes. There is infinite space even within the smallest interval. To sing is to enter that infinitesimal infinity." Speaking of the song further, Albarn said: "I associate it with Sufism, ecstatic music. It takes me to people like Gurdjieff. Niloy’s just beautiful. Gorgeous."^[50]

Throughout the production process, the band experimented with different recording techniques. During the recording of the track "The Sweet Prince", featured guest, Anoushka Shankar, suggested a multi-layered technique for the song's sitar portions, wherein Shankar's fast strumming created a layered cocoon for the song's vocals – a similar technique was used by the Beatles for their song "Love You To", from their 1966 album Revolver.^[51]

Quick facts Directed by, Story by ...

The Mountain, the Moon Cave and the Sad God
Official thumbnail from the band's official YouTube page
Directed by	Jamie Hewlett Max Taylor Tim McCourt Johnatan Djob Nkondo (sequence director)
Story by	Jamie Hewlett
Produced by	Gorillaz Eleven Management Eva Dahlqvist Tan Baptista
Starring	Gorillaz Ajay Prasanna Black Thought Jalen Ngonda David Jolicoeur
Cinematography	Ed Tucker
Edited by	Peter Scott
Music by	Lead artist: Gorillaz Featured guests: Ajay Prasanna Amaan Ali Bangash Anoushka Shankar Asha Puthli Ayaan Ali Bangash Black Thought Bobby Womack David Jolicoeur Jalen Ngonda
Production companies	Kong The Line
Release dates	26 February 2026 (2026-02-26) (premiere) 27 February 2026 (2026-02-27) (YouTube)
Running time	8 minutes
Language	English

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On 26 February 2026, the band premiered an 8-minute animated film directed by Hewlett, Johnatan Djob Nkondo, Max Taylor and Tim McCourt, entitled The Mountain, the Moon Cave and the Sad God.^[52]

The short film is made up of three songs from the album: the instrumental "The Mountain" (featuring Dennis Hopper, Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Amaan Ali Bangash, and Ayaan Ali Bangash), along with "The Moon Cave" (featuring Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda, and Black Thought) and "The Sad God" (featuring Black Thought, Ajay Prasanna, and Anoushka Shankar). All three songs were produced by Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egglenton, and Remi Kabaka Jr., while "The Moon Cave" featured additional production from Argentine producer, Bizarrap.^[53]

The band are scheduled to promote the album further through The Mountain Tour, with concerts in Europe between March and June 2026.^[65] A deluxe version of the album was also announced, with the addition of four bonus tracks, which include contributions from Niloy Ahsan and Pamela Jain, as well as additional contributions from the Hindu Jea Band Jaipur and Anoushka Shankar, who both contributed to the standard edition of the album too. One of the bonus tracks is a cover of Kishore Kumar's "Mere Sapno Ki Rani", from the 1969 Bollywood film Aradhana.^[18]

On 17 September, the band premiered the song "Damascus" at Brian Eno's Together for Palestine concert at Wembley Arena in London alongside Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey, where Bey also recited the English translation of Imam Muhammad b. Nāsir al-Darʿī's The Prayer of the Oppressed.^[66] On 8 October, the band released "The Manifesto" as the second single.^[67] On 6 November, the band released "The God of Lying" as the third single.^[68] On 2 December, an additional "House of Kong" exhibition in Los Angeles was announced, alongside two shows of the full album at the Hollywood Palladium in February 2026.^[69] On 12 December, "Damascus" was released as the album's fourth single. On the same day, Gorillaz announced that The Mountain would now be released earlier, on 27 February 2026.^[20]

On 15 January, the band released "The Hardest Thing" and "Orange County" as a double single. Argentinian producer Bizarrap, who worked on the latter, released an alternate mix of the song a week later, on 23 January.^[70][71] The band performed the single on The Graham Norton Show on 13 February, with guests, Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar.^[72]

On 3 March 2026, the band announced their North American tour in support of the album, running from September to October. As part of the tour, the band will perform at the Shaky Knees Music Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. The band will be supported on the tour by Little Simz and Deltron 3030.^[73]

On 7 March 2026, the band promoted the album as the musical guests on Saturday Night Live, with guest host, Ryan Gosling, marking the band's first ever appearance on the show, performing "Clint Eastwood" with Del the Funky Homosapien and "The Moon Cave" with Asha Puthli, Black Thought & Anoushka Shankar.^[74][75][76]

More information Aggregate scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.8/10[77]
Metacritic	85/100[78]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[79]
DIY	[80]
The Guardian	[21]
The Independent	[81]
The Line of Best Fit	8/10[82]
Mojo	[83]
Pitchfork	6.7/10[84]
Record Collector	[85]
Slant Magazine	[86]
Uncut	[2]

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The Mountain received positive reviews from music critics, with particular praise directed towards the album's themes and general cohesion. According to the review aggregator Metacritic, The Mountain received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 from 23 critic scores.^[78] The aggregator website AnyDecentMusic? gave the album a weighted average score of 7.8 out of 10 from 30 critic scores.^[77]

Writing for Record Collector, Kevin Harley praised the album's expansive vision and reflective tone, describing the record as "a record of sorrows, salves and state-of-the-now despair", commending the album's ability to unite a wide range of genres and collaborators.^[85] Grace Dillon of Still Listening characterised The Mountain as a bold and emotionally resonant work, noting its synthesis of Indian musical influences with the group's established eclectic sound. Dillon emphasised the album's exploration of grief, transcendence, and turning personal grief into a kaleidoscopic meditation on life, death, and renewal.^[87] In a four star review, NME's Andrew Trendell hailed the album as "a full-bodied world-building affair; arguably their most rich and complete since Plastic Beach".^[88]

While Uncut noted, "Albarn has, of course, explored grief on many occasions – Gorillaz's "Andromeda", Blur's The Ballad of Darren and the title track to his solo album The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows... are all mournful elegies to departed friends and loved ones; countless other Blur and Gorillaz songs mourn the death of relationships. You would expect an entire album with death at its central theme to be similarly hymnal, sombre and funereal, but The Mountain somehow manages to be none of these things. Its 15 tracks are filled with cheery major-key singalongs, sitar-soaked synth-pop bangers and whimsical waltzes that serve as ecstatic celebrations of life, rebirth and reinvention."^[2]

The Mountain debuted at number-one the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart and joins the band’s 2005 album Demon Days and 2023’s Cracker Island as chart-topping albums, The Official Charts Company reports that with its 30,000 units in the opening week, The Mountain is the biggest independent release of 2026 so far.^[89]

The Mountain debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 53,000 equivalent album units, which includes 38,000 in pure album sales and 15,000 streaming units. It became the group's sixth top-ten record in the United States.^[90]

Notes

• ^{^[a]} indicates an additional producer

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes and Tidal.^[91]