While Damon Albarn’s virtual band has consistently pushed musical boundaries for nearly three decades, Gorillaz‘s upcoming ninth studio album “The Mountain” represents perhaps their most ambitious global fusion yet. Scheduled for release on March 20, 2026, this 15-track collection marks the band’s first release under their own KONG label and features an unprecedented array of collaborators spanning continents, generations, and musical traditions.
Gorillaz ventures into uncharted territory with “The Mountain,” their boldest cross-continental collaboration to date.
The album, produced by Gorillaz alongside James Ford, Samuel Egglenton, Remi Kabaka Jr., and Bizarrap, embraces a truly international spirit with songs performed in Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish, and Yoruba. This linguistic diversity mirrors the album’s recording geography, with sessions conducted across studios in Mumbai, New Delhi, Rajasthan, Varanasi, London, Ashgabat, Damascus, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York.
“The Happy Dictator,” the album’s lead single featuring art-rock veterans Sparks, offers listeners an early taste of the project’s experimental qualities. The full album promises an eclectic sonic journey with contributions from rock icons like Johnny Marr and Paul Simonon alongside contemporary artists such as Black Thought, IDLES, and Argentine producer Bizarrap.
Perhaps most poignantly, “The Mountain” includes posthumous contributions from several departed musical luminaries, including Bobby Womack, De La Soul’s Dave Jolicoeur, Proof, Dennis Hopper, Mark E Smith, and Tony Allen, creating a bridge between past and present musical generations.
The global roster continues with sitarist Anoushka Shankar, Syrian singer Omar Souleyman, jazz legend Asha Puthli, rapper Yasiin Bey, and classical musicians Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash contributing to the album’s rich multicultural tapestry. This diversity of voices and influences deliberately transcends conventional genre classifications, creating what early descriptions call a “wild ride” across musical traditions. Jamie Hewlett’s distinctive artwork for the album depicts the band members in India, perfectly complementing the album’s global sonic explorations.
The band plans to leverage the album’s cross-cultural appeal through sync deals for potential placement in international films and television, further expanding their revenue streams beyond traditional music sales. The group has also launched a comprehensive pre-save campaign across major streaming platforms to build anticipation before the official release.
As anticipation builds toward the March 2026 release, a global tour is planned to showcase this ambitious cross-cultural project that further cements Gorillaz’s reputation as musical boundary-pushers. The Mountain Tour will kick off on March 21, 2026, in Manchester with selected support from Latin American artist Trueno on various dates.
