A Global Collaboration Like No Other
Gorillaz, the visionary virtual band led by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, have announced their ninth studio album, The Mountain, set for release on March 20, 2026 via their newly launched label, KONG. The 15-track project is their first full-length since 2023’s Cracker Island and promises an expansive, globe-spanning sound.
The lead single, “The Happy Dictator” featuring Sparks, has already been released, setting the tone for an album that blends languages, genres, and generations. A press release describes The Mountain as a “playlist for a party on the border between this world and whatever happens next.”
An Eclectic Guest List Across Generations
True to Gorillaz tradition, the album is packed with collaborators. Among them are IDLES, Black Thought, Bizarrap, Trueno, Yasiin Bey, Johnny Marr, Paul Simonon, and Omar Souleyman. Legendary voices from the past, including Bobby Womack, Dennis Hopper, Mark E. Smith, Tony Allen, and Proof, also feature posthumously.
Adding to the global dimension, artists perform in Arabic, Hindi, Spanish, Yoruba, and English, with contributions from icons like Asha Bhosle, Anoushka Shankar, and Gruff Rhys. Recording sessions stretched across London, India, Miami, Ashgabat, Damascus, and New York, embedding the album with a sense of travel and cultural fusion.
Touring and Visual Experience
Alongside the album, Gorillaz will embark on a UK and Ireland tour starting March 21, 2026, with dates in Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Belfast, and Dublin, before headlining their first-ever stadium show at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20. Sparks and Trueno will join as special guests.
Visually, Jamie Hewlett has reimagined the band’s iconic characters—Murdoc, Noodle, Russel, and 2D—as nomads journeying through India, aligning with the record’s themes of exploration and transcendence. Fans can also look forward to special-edition artwork collections and an expanded, interactive version of Kong Studios, rebuilt as a game-like online hub for Gorillaz activity.
Why The Mountain Matters
Described by Albarn as “part beautiful, part deadly, part futuristic,” the album is both a continuation of Gorillaz’s genre-bending legacy and a bold step into new creative territory. With a mix of living legends, rising stars, and voices from beyond, The Mountain serves as both a celebration of music’s global diversity and a reflection on mortality, politics, and the thrill of existence.
The Mountain:
01 The Mountain [ft. Dennis Hopper, Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Amaan Ali
Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash]
02 The Moon Cave [ft. Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda
and Black Thought]
03 The Happy Dictator [ft. Sparks]
04 The Hardest Thing [ft. Tony Allen]
05 Orange County [ft. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar]
06 The God of Lying [ft. Idles]
07 The Empty Dream Machine [ft. Black Thought, Johnny Marr and Anoushka
Shankar]
08 The Manifesto [ft. Trueno and Proof]
09 The Plastic Guru [ft. Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar]
10 Delirium [ft. Mark E. Smith]
11 Damascus [ft. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey]
12 The Shadowy Light [ft. Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Ajay Prasanna, Amaan Ali
Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash]
13 Casablanca [ft. Paul Simonon and Johny Marr]
14 The Sweet Prince [ft. Ajay Prasanna, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar]
15 The Sad God [ft. Black Thought, Ajay Prasanna and Anoushka Shankar]
Gorillaz tour dates:
03-21 Manchester, England – Co-op Live
03-22 Birmingham, England – BP Pulse Live
03-24 Glasgow, Scotland – OVO Hydro *
03-25 Leeds, England – First Direct Arena *
03-27 Cardiff, Wales – Utilita Arena *
03-28 Nottingham, England – Motorpoint Arena *
03-29 Liverpool, England – M&S Bank Arena *
03-31 Belfast, Northern Ireland – SSE Arena *
04-01 Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena *
06-20 London, England – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ^*
* with Trueno
^ with Sparks