Gorillaz have shared the lively new single ‘Damascus’, which features Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey (FKA Mos Def).
The track is the latest single to be released from the band’s forthcoming album ‘The Mountain’, which is set for release on February 27.
Written by Damon Albarn alongside Syrian superstar of Bedouin music Omar Souleyman and rapper/singer Yasiin Bey, the track eases in with intriguing and soothing instrumentals, before gradually building up to the anthemic climax, inspired by trip-hop, Arabic-influenced hip hop, and rap.
The song was first given a live preview by Gorillaz at their phone-free ‘House Of Kong’ mystery show in London back in September, where they first announced details of their ninth album and played the record in full for fans.
They then played it again at the Gaia Festival in Madrid later in the year, then at the huge Together For Palestine charity gig at Wembley Arena, organised by Brian Eno. For the latter, they put a new spin on the song, performing alongside The London Arab Orchestra.
As the title suggests, the song was largely recorded in Damascus, and also worked on in London, Devon, Mumbai and New York.
‘Damascus’ is the fourth single to be shared so far from ‘The Mountain’, following on from ‘The God Of Lying’ (featuring Idles), ‘The Happy Dictator’ (feat. Sparks), and ‘The Manifesto’ with Trueno and late D12 member Proof.
Other artists who have joined Albarn and Jamie Hewett for the record include Black Thought, Asha Puthli, Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Kara Jackson, Paul Simonon, Johnny Marr, and Anoushka Shankar.
Also on the album are contributions from The London Arab Orchestra, Demon Strings, Chris Storr, James Copus and Matthew Gunner, while deceased acts like Dennis Hopper, Bobby Womack, De La Soul‘s Dave Jolicoeur, Tony Allen, and the late Mark E Smith of The Fall are billed as ‘Voices from Elsewhere’.
In an interview earlier this autumn, Albarn opened up about how he and Hewlett losing their fathers and travelling to India was a huge source of inspiration for the album.
“We did two quite amazing, magical trips to India. India is a very interesting place to carry grief, because they have a very positive outlook on death,” he explained.
“I did things I’d never done before. I swam in the Ganges in Varanasi. I watched the bodies being burnt on the banks of the Ganges. I took my dad’s ashes there and I cast them in the river. It was very beautiful.”
In March, Gorillaz will head out on a UK and Ireland tour, which includes stops in Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Cardiff, Nottingham, Liverpool, Belfast and Dublin, as well as a one-off headline show at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
They’ll also play some warm-up shows in Bradford, and perform at numerous European festivals, including Electric Picnic, Primavera Sound Barcelona and Porto, and Rock Werchter. Visit here for tickets.
