The Gorillaz’s The Mountain, their newest album, was released on February 27 of this year. The Gorillaz is a British virtual band that Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett created. The virtual band members consist of 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Russell Hobbs, and Noodle. 2-D does the vocals, which Damon Albarn sings. Murdoc Niccals is the bassist voiced by Phil Cornwell. Russell Hobbs, the drummer, is voiced by Remi Kabaka Jr. Noodle is the guitarist and sometimes a secondary vocalist; the voice has changed over time, but the current voice is Haruka Abe.
The Mountain is inspired by Indian culture, particularly by the concept of the afterlife. Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett specifically took this inspiration from their dads’ deaths in July 2024. The themes of the album consist of coping, the afterlife, and the celebration of life. This inspiration creates a new sound for the Gorillaz and has seen positive feedback from its community. Music critic Anthony Fantano explains that, “The Mountain is clearly a record that has a lot to say and more than enough symbolism, guest features, and experience to get it all done.”
The Mountain has numerous features, from Yasiin Bey to Black Thought to Johnny Marr. Black Thought is the main contributor to the Hip-Hop sections of the Album and is my favorite feature on this album by far. Although the album is mainly synth-pop, it doesn’t stray away from breaking genre norms in classic Gorillaz fashion.
I really enjoyed listening to The Mountain. The Gorillaz did a great job on this album, and I think it did genuinely well in meeting up to Gorillaz fans’ expectations. The vocals on The Mountain complement the overall theme and rhythm really well. One of the songs I think that does this the best is “The Happy Dictator”. “The Happy Dictator” does a really great job of this by using the rhythms to amplify the meaning and volume of the lyrics. I also enjoy most, if not all, of the features on this album, and I don’t think there is a single bad song on it.
For these reasons, I rate this album a solid eight and a half out of ten. Although there are no bad songs, a few songs are lacking only slightly. The Mountain is a great listen, and I definitely recommend it to a Gorillaz fan, but if you are curious about the Gorillaz, I recommend you listen to at least one of their first few albums in their discography.
