Gorillaz Announce New Album, Share Single ‘The Happy Dictator’

The Mountain follows 2023’s Cracker Island and features collaborations with Sparks, Yasiin Bey, Johnny Marr of the Smiths and more.

Image Jamie Hewlett

Having just wrapped up a run of special London shows, Gorillaz have announced the release of their ninth album, The Mountain.

Damon Albarn’s virtual band’s follow-up to 2023’s Cracker Island arrives March 20 via the band’s own new label, Kong (pre-order/pre-save here).

Produced by Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egglenton, Remi Kabaka Jr. and Bizarrap, the 15-track release was recorded in studios across the world, including Albarn’s Studio 13 in London and in cities such as Mumbai, Turkmenistan, Syria, Los Angeles, New York and more.

Just like previous Gorillaz albums, The Mountain includes collaborations with a wide range of artists, with performances in five different languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish and Yoruba.

The lineup of contributors includes Johnny Marr from The Smiths, Yasiin Bey, Idles, Black Thought of the Roots and Anoushka Shankar, along with the voices of several personalities who have passed away in recent years, such as Bobby Womack, Dennis Hopper and the Fall’s Mark E. Smitm.

READ MORE: The 2025 Mercury Prize Shortlist Revealed

Gorillaz have also shared the first taste of The Mountain via new single ‘The Happy Dictator’, a team-up with American duo Sparks. This one has an ‘80s synth-pop vibe with Albarn in talk-sing mode and Sparks providing some wonderful harmonies.

Those lucky enough to live in the United Kingdom and Ireland can catch Gorillaz performing tracks from The Mountain when they hit the road for a run of ten shows early next year. More details are available via gorillaz.com.

‘The Happy Dictator’ (feat. Sparks) by Gorillaz is out now. The Mountain drops March 20 via the Kong. Pre-order/pre-save the album here. Check out the album artwork and full tracklist below.

The Mountain

1. The Mountain (ft. Dennis Hopper, Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Amaan Ali
Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash)

2. The Moon Cave (ft. Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda
and Black Thought)

3. The Happy Dictator (ft. Sparks)

4. The Hardest Thing (ft. Tony Allen)

5. Orange County (ft. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar)

6. The God of Lying (ft. Idles)

7. The Empty Dream Machine (ft. Black Thought, Johnny Marr and Anoushka
Shankar)

8. The Manifesto (ft. Trueno and Proof)

9. 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)

---