If there was ever an album that felt like a literal expedition through sound and spirit, The Mountain might just be it. After months of anticipation, the British virtual band Gorillaz has dropped their ninth studio album — a sprawling, genre-blending record that stakes out new creative territory while continuing the group’s legacy of boundary-pushing collaboration.
Gorillaz live 2010 - License: CC BY 2.0 - Credit: Wonker
A New Peak in a Storied Career
Released on 27 February 2026 via Gorillaz’s own label, Kong, The Mountain marks a milestone in the band’s quarter-century journey. Recorded in studios from London to Rajasthan and featuring contributions from artists across the globe, the album is a vivid testament to Gorillaz’s evolving sonic personality.
At its core, The Mountain is as much a philosophical statement as it is a record — threading themes of loss, resilience, and renewal through a tapestry of world-inspired rhythms, indie-electronic textures, and bold genre fusions.
Collaborative Mosaic
The Gorillaz formula has always leaned on collaboration, and The Mountain practically explodes with it. From the theatrical opener “The Happy Dictator” with Sparks to contributions from IDLES, Black Thought, Johnny Marr, Anoushka Shankar, Omar Souleyman, and many more, the record is a globe-spanning crew effort.
Posthumous appearances from legends like Dennis Hopper, Bobby Womack, and Tony Allen add haunting texture to the 15-track set, helping the band bridge past and present.
Linguistically, the album pushes its horizons, featuring songs performed in languages including English, Hindi, Arabic, Spanish, and Yoruba — a move that underscores the project’s international heartbeat.
More Than Music — A Tour and Visual Vision
To support the release, Gorillaz have lined up The Mountain Tour, launching in March 2026 across arenas in the UK and Ireland, with shows in Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff, and a headline stadium performance at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in June.
Early reactions suggest that the live shows will be as immersive as the album itself, cementing this era as one of the most ambitious in the band’s history.
Gorillaz performing live during the Plastic Beach album tour in 2010. License: CC BY 2.0 - Credit: Wonker
Rising Acclaim and Emotional Depth
Critics and fans alike are responding to The Mountain not just for its eclectic sound but for its emotional weight. Inspired in part by the personal losses experienced by co-creators Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, the album navigates grief and transcendence with surprising tenderness.
Listeners have praised its rich instrumentation and inventive collaborations, marking it as one of Gorillaz’s most cohesive and heartfelt works in years.