Gorillaz Burst Back onto the Scene and Prove They Still Have Their Magic
Photo by Kacper Borucki on Unsplash
By Iain McLean
Gorillaz, the band that revolutionised modern music in the 2000’s returned to the airwaves Thursday evening with their new single “The Happy Dictator”. The song is the first single released from their upcoming album “The Mountain” which releases March 20th, 2026.
Damon Albarn made a return to BBC’s Radio 1 during The New Music Show with Jack Saunders to talk about the new single and album.
Albarn spoke about the themes of the album stating, “It’s in five languages”, the list including English, Hindi, Arabic, Spanish and Yoruba.
When the interview with Saunders concluded, the new single was unveiled to the millions of excited fans, listening from across the globe.
“The Happy Dictator” is a mix between the bands Cracker Island sound and the upbeat sound of their The Now Now album.
It’s clear to see why Albarn chose to reveal this song first for their return as it’s everything a fan would expect from the band, perhaps even more. Its upbeat melody paired with the lyrics that set up the next chapter of the Gorillaz with them sounding like they’re from the view of this “dictator”.
The song is full of lyrics such as “I am your soul, your resurrection, I am your love” with the phrase “What a happy land we live in” repeating throughout.
Did this song reveal enough to begin the hype and excitement for this new step for Albarn and his animated friends? The fans certainly think so as the terms “Gorillaz” “The Mountain” and “The Happy Dictator” stormed online trends with it practically taking over TikTok within hours of its reveal.
“The Happy Dictator” is an exciting step in a brand-new journey fraught with potential risks both musically and politically for Albarn. The inclusion of the different languages could be enough by itself to turn away a percentage of listeners in the current political climate.
However, this fresh direction Albarn is taking the band might just be what we need given the overwhelmingly positive response to his interview and the single.
“The Happy Dictator” is available on all music streaming platforms now.