Gorillaz have announced a new album “The Mountain,” releasing March 20, 2026, as well as a European tour to coincide with the record.
The group, created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, will drop its ninth record and first-ever album on its own new label KONG. They released the first track, “The Happy Dictator,” featuring Sparks, and the album is set to feature guest appearances from Black Thought, Yasiin Bey, Johnny Marr, Anoushka Shankar, Dennis Hopper, Bizarrap and many more.
“The Mountain” was recorded at Studio 13 in London and Devon, as well as various locations in India. Additional sessions took place in Los Angeles, Ashgabat, Damascus, New York and Miami. “The Mountain” was produced by Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egglenton and Remi Kabaka Jr., plus Bizarrap (Orange County). It will feature artists performing in five languages including Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish and Yoruba. According to a release, the artwork illustrates the members of Gorillaz — 2D, Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs and Noodle — working on the album in India. It will be available as a book and a collection of 12×12 prints.
Additionally, Gorillaz have announced “The Mountain Tour” slated to kick off in Manchester on March 21. The band will make stops in Glasgow, Cardiff and Dublin before concluding with a one-off show at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20.
The release states that “circumstances now find Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs, 2D and Noodle in India, having made their way to Mumbai with the help of four fake passports courtesy of a New York business acquaintance of Murdoc. The band has turned its back on international pop stardom, with our heroes now immersed in the rhythms of mystical music-making, as they navigate the mountainous terrain of this thing called life.”
Check out the tracklist and tour dates below:
- The Mountain (feat. Dennis Hopper, Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash)
- The Moon Cave (feat. Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda and Black Thought)
- The Happy Dictator (feat. Sparks)
- The Hardest Thing (feat. Tony Allen)
- Orange County (feat. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar)
- The God of Lying (feat. IDLES)
- The Empty Dream Machine (feat. Black Thought, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
- The Manifesto (feat. Trueno and Proof)
- The Plastic Guru (feat. Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
- Delirium (feat. Mark E. Smith)
- Damascus (feat. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey)
- The Shadowy Light (feat. Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Ajay Prasanna, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash)
- Casablanca (feat. Paul Simonon and Johnny Marr)
- The Sweet Prince (feat. Ajay Prasanna, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
- The Sad God (feat. Black Thought, Ajay Prasanna and Anoushka Shankar)
Gorillaz – The Mountain Tour 2026 – Dates:
March 21 – MANCHESTER, Co-op Live
March 22 – BIRMINGHAM, bp pulse LIVE
March 24 – GLASGOW, OVO Hydro*
March 25 – LEEDS, First Direct Arena*
March 27 – CARDIFF, Utilita Arena*
March 28 – NOTTINGHAM, Motorpoint Arena*
March 29 – LIVERPOOL, M&S Bank Arena*
March 31 – BELFAST, SSE Arena*
April 1 – DUBLIN, 3Arena*
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*support from Trueno
June 20 – LONDON, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
With support from Sparks and Trueno
From Variety US