Gorillaz swing into our lives once again with “Damascus,” another new track from their forthcoming album, The Mountain.
Dropping at the stroke of midnight, “Damascus” is a proper international adventure.
The exotic cut was recorded in Damascus, London, Devon, Mumbai and New York, and features the talents of Syrian artist Omar Souleyman and NYC rapper and singer Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def), both of whom are credited as songwriters, alongside Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn.
Fans got the jump on “Damascus” when it received its live debut at Gorillaz’s surprise performance of The Mountain at London’s Copper Box Arena in September, ahead of spots at Madrid’s Gaia Festival and Together For Palestine at Wembley Arena, when the beloved “cartoon band” was joined on stage by the London Arab Orchestra.
Gorillaz’ ninth studio album, The Mountain is due out Feb. 27, 2026 on the band’s own new label KONG.
The collection is described by reps as “an expansive sonic landscape of instruments and sounds, richly layered with voices, melodies and addictive beats,” and boasts an impressive lineup of collaborators and several voices “of friends” that have passed, including Bobby Womack, Dennis Hopper and Mark E Smith.
“Damascus” is one of 15 songs on The Mountain, which collects previously-released songs “The God of Lying” (feat. IDLES), “The Manifesto” (feat. Trueno and Proof) and “The Happy Dictator” (feat. Sparks).
Gorillaz will support the release with The Mountain Tour, which gets underway with two warm-up shows in Bradford, England on March 13 and 14 before opening night, March 20 in Manchester. The tour will visit arenas across the U.K. and Ireland, plus a one-off headline show at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, June 20, for the band’s biggest show in their homeland to-date, with support from Sparks and Trueno. European festival slots will follow next summer.
Gorillaz last released a new album in 2023 with Cracker Island, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, their fifth top 10 appearance. Cracker Island was nominated for best alternative music album at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
Pre-save “The Mountain” here, pre-order here, and stream “Damascus” below.
The Mountain Tracklisting:
1. “The Mountain” (feat. Dennis Hopper, Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Amaan Ali
Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash)
2. “The Moon Cave” (feat. Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda
and Black Thought)
3. “The Happy Dictator” (feat. Sparks)
4. “The Hardest Thing” (feat. Tony Allen)
5. “Orange County” (feat. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar)
6. “The God of Lying” (feat. IDLES)
7. “The Empty Dream Machine” (feat. Black Thought, Johnny Marr and Anoushka
Shankar)
8. “The Manifesto” (feat. Trueno and Proof)
9. “The Plastic Guru” (feat. Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
10. “Delirium” (feat. Mark E. Smith)
11. “Damascus” (feat. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey)
12. “The Shadowy Light” (feat. Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Ajay Prasanna, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash)
13. “Casablanca” (feat. Paul Simonon and Johnny Marr)
14. “The Sweet Prince” (feat. Ajay Prasanna, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
15. “The Sad God” (feat. Black Thought, Ajay Prasanna and Anoushka Shankar)
