- 2026-01-16
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MUSIC
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Gorillaz Premieres Two New Songs “The Hardest Thing” featuring Tony Allen & “Orange County” featuring Bizarrap, Kara Jackson & Anoushka Shankar on BBC Radio 1
British virtual band Gorillaz, consisting of virtual: Murdoc Niccals (bass), 2-D (vocal), Noodle (guitar) and Russel Hobbs (drums), Non-virtual: Damon Albarn (vocals/guitar/keyboards), Jamie Hewlett and Remi Kabaka Jr. (drums), premiered two new songs “The Hardest Thing” and “Orange County” on BBC Radio 1's New Music Show with Jack Saunders.
Two songs are taken from their upcoming ninth studio album “The Mountain”, which is set to be released on February 27, 2026 via the band's own label KONG.
“The Hardest Thing” explores grief and farewell, featuring the late drummer and longtime collaborator Tony Allen, who recorded recorded prior to his passing in 2020.
It was written by Damon Albarn, and produced by Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egglenton, Remi Kabaka Jr.
“Orange County” is a companion track to “The Hardest Thing,” carrying its beautiful exploration of grief and hope, and features Argentine DJ Bizarrap, American singer-songwriter Kara Jackson and British-American sitar player Anoushka Shankar.
It was written by Damon Albarn, Gonzalo Conde, Kara Jackson, and Santiago Alvarado. Produced by Gorillaz and Bizarrap.- Damon Albarn told Jack Saunders about “Orange County”, “Bizarrap wanted to give the tune a slightly different kind of edit for radio, so it's different to what's on the record, but I mean recognizable. I suppose it could be say goodbye to a relationship as well, some doesn't have to be. Well, this is physical goodbye.”
Jamie Hewlett added, “I think 'The Hardest Thing' is about death and Orange County is more. Could be more about losing somebody you're in love with and never seen them again.”
Damon Albarn said of working with Bizarrap, “Bizarrap is a very interesting dude, I think. Because until you get to know him, all you see is the picture of him in dark glasses and the hat. And he's very kind of, it's very mysterious. But he absolutely loves music, and got great, invests a great sort of energy into the music, he makes and people who surrounds himself around.”
He said of Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar, “I just was completely, I'm always kind of looking for voices that the first time I hear them, they just completely send me somewhere else. Kara's got one of those voices with me. I grew up listening at a younger age to more Ravi Shankar than I did The Beatles. So it's just kind of mad to work with a member of the Shankar family, and she's just a wonderful human being, amazing musician, really amazing.” -
The new album comprises 15 tracks, featuring guest appearances from Ajay Prasanna, Amaan Ali Bangash, Anoushka Shankar, Asha Bhosle, Asha Puthli, Ayaan Ali Bangash, Bizarrap, Black Thought, Bobby Womack, Dennis Hopper, Gruff Rhys, IDLES, Jalen Ngonda, Johnny Marr, Kara Jackson, Omar Souleyman, Paul Simonon, Proof, Sparks, Tony Allen, Trueno, Trugoy the Dove and Yasiin Bey.
The album features performances in multiple languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish, and Yoruba. - source : BBC Radio 1
