Gorillaz Share Double Single ‘The Hardest Thing’ and ‘Orange County’

These tracks are the final preview of Gorillaz’s upcoming studio album The Mountain.

Image Jamie Hewlett

Just over a month out from the release of Gorillaz’s ninth studio album, The Mountain, which arrives Friday 27 February via the band’s own label Kong (pre-order/pre-save here), the Damon Albarn-led project has released double single ‘The Hardest Thing’ and ‘Orange County’.

Following the previously released tracks ‘The Happy Dictator’ (feat. Sparks), ‘The Manifesto’ (feat. Trueno and Proof), ‘The God of Lying’ (feat. IDLES) and ‘Damascus’ (feat. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey), the two new singles gel together to create one special song.

‘The Hardest Thing’ opens with the voice of Tony Allen, a longtime collaborator and friend of Albarn’s who passed away in 2020. An exploration of grief and hope, the song transitions into ‘Orange County’, a beautifully uplifting tune that finds Albarn joined by singer-songwriter and poet Kara Jackson on vocals and 14-time Grammy-nominated sitar player Anoushka Shankar.

The Mountain contains 15 songs and includes collaborations with a host of musical greats, including producers such as James Ford, Samuel Egglenton, Remi Kabaka Jr. and Bizarrap and artists like Johnny Marr from The Smiths, Yasiin Bey, Black Thought of the Roots and Anoushka Shankar.

The Mountain has been described in the press release as “a playlist for a party on the border between this world and whatever happens next, exploring the journey of life and the thrill of existence.”

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The Mountain will be available as a digital download, standard CD, deluxe 2CD edition featuring a selection of “Mystery Show” live tracks, standard vinyl, hardback book vinyl edition, and a limited edition collectors' box that comes with exclusive art prints.

Gorillaz have also announced a run of UK and Ireland shows to coincide with the release of the album across March and April, with support from Sparks and Trueno, along with a stack of festival performances across Europe from June to August. Tickets are available via gorillaz.com.

‘The Hardest Thing’ by the Gorillaz ft. Tony Allen and ‘Orange County’ ft. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson & Anoushka Shankar are out now. Listen here. The Mountain drops on February 27 2026, 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)

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