Gorillaz have dropped a sprawling new single, “The Manifesto”, partnering with Argentine rapper Trueno and a posthumous verse from D12’s late Proof. The song serves as the second preview of their forthcoming album The Mountain, due March 20, 2026.
Clocking in at over seven minutes, “The Manifesto” unfolds in multiple phases, beginning with Trueno’s contemplative bars before shifting into an unexpectedly raw, hard‑hitting middle section led by Proof’s freestyle. Proof’s verse, reportedly recorded in his early days as a rapper, had remained unreleased until now.
But this is far from a conventional hip hop track. True to Gorillaz’s restless, genre-blurring ethos, “The Manifesto” wraps itself in lush instrumentation and global textures. The track features sarod played by Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, bansuri by Ajay Prasanna, brass and percussion from Jea Band Jaipur, and choral backing from The Mountain Choir led by Vijayaa Shanker.
Of the track, Gorillaz’s fictional drummer Russell Hobbs remarks:
“As space dust we are here forever and that’s a mighty long time. This is a musical meditation infused with light. A journey of the soul, with beats.”
Themes: Life, Death & the Infinite
Lyrically and thematically, “The Manifesto” leans into cycles, mortality, spiritual rebirth, and the liminal spaces between life and what lies beyond. Trueno’s verses wrestle with uncertainty and aspiration—lines like “Cuando atienda la luz que me llama” (“when I heed the light that calls me”) gesture toward transcendent longing. Proof’s contributions cut deeper, acting as a haunting interlude between existence and the beyond.
In that sense, the track feels like a sonic ritual or meditation rather than a pop single—a sprawling, ambitious statement rather than something designed strictly for radio.
Context & What’s Next
“The Manifesto” follows last month’s lead single “The Happy Dictator”, which featured Sparks and served as the formal announcement of The Mountain. On the album, nearly every track includes at least one guest artist, reinforcing the collective, boundary-defying feel of the project. Among the contributors to the album: Idles, Anoushka Shankar, Yasiin Bey, Johnny Marr, Omar Souleyman, and posthumous appearances by Tony Allen, Mark E. Smith, Bobby Womack, Dave “Trugoy the Dove” Jolicoeur, and Proof himself.
Gorillaz have also mapped out a UK & Ireland tour in support of the new album. It launches March 21, 2026 in Manchester, with stops in Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Cardiff, Nottingham, Liverpool, Belfast, and Dublin. The trek culminates in a headline performance at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20, with support from Sparks and Trueno.
For longtime fans, the inclusion of Proof carries extra weight: his collaboration with Gorillaz dates back to “911” (a track from the early 2000s), and hearing him resurface in “The Manifesto” offers a poignant bridge across eras.
Final Thoughts
“The Manifesto” isn’t easy listening in the conventional sense—but then, that’s been Gorillaz’s virtue from the start. It’s cinematic, ambitious, and emotionally expansive. It sets a high bar for what The Mountain might offer: a global, collaborative, visionary journey through sound, life, and beyond.
If this track is any indication, the next chapter in the Gorillaz saga looks both bold and boundless.