Gorillaz is one of the most fascinating bands to come out of the 20th century. A band with cartoon members and one of the deepest mythologies in music definitely created a new experience with “Humanz,” their fifth studio album. Never one to be outdone, Gorillaz have come back with vengeance, pushing musical boundaries.
This album rollout has been one of the most intriguing in recent memory. The band started teasing new music in January with the release of “Hallelujah Money,” a bristling takedown of President Donald Trump. Then came a mysterious Snapchat account with brief snippets of the recording process.
Once the band announced the new album, word of secret shows in London and New York started spread. While the shows were intimate, the band wanted to include everyone and introduced the Humanz House Party, which allowed fans to listen to the new album a week early in geotagged locations through their app.
As for the music, “Humanz” is as strong and interesting as any of the other works Gorillaz have done. Damon Albarn, the musician behind the cartoons in their music videos didn’t believe that Trump’s election was possible at the time of recording and with this idea becoming a reality, the album feels like a deconstruction of current American politics, serving up warnings and concerns throughout.
The most powerful song on the album, “Let Me Out (feat. Mavis Staples and Pusha T)” features Pusha T rapping to Mavis Staples about the world in which we live and the fears he has through lines such as “Tell me that I won’t die at the hands of the police / Promise me I won’t outlive my nephew and my niece.” They are some of the most powerful lyrics ever delivered in a Gorillaz song and are backed up by Mavis crooning “Change is coming.”
One aspect of Gorillaz music that is popular is their collaborations with the band working with Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed and even members of The Clash in the past. For this album, the band teams up with the fiery Vince Staples in the tone-setting opener “Ascension (feat. Vince Staples),” a song that defines the party theme and apocalyptic chaos. De La Soul, American hip-hop trio and frequent collaborator, work their way through a hangover in this party in the exuberant “Momentz (feat. De La Soul).” Meanwhile, Kali Uchis and Albarn duet in “She’s My Collar (feat. Kali Uchis),” a song about a two people stuck together in this world and the connection they share.
Even though Gorillaz is known for their collaborations, they come extremely close to crossing the line in this album. Albarn only has one song to himself, and takes to the background in most of the songs. While this may be problematic to some fans, his parts are entrancing, and leave the listener wanting more. Even with the collaborators, the music sounds like it belongs in the Gorillaz world.
The tracklist consists of 14 songs and Albarn does a great job of mixing the sounds to keep every song fresh and keep listeners on this journey. The first half of the album is feistier and deals with the anger and first impressions of this catastrophic event with songs like “Strobelite (feat. Peven Everett)” and “Charger (feat. Grace Jones).” These songs are loud and proud, wearing their emotions on their sleeve.
Meanwhile, the second half of the album slows things down with more introspective songs such as “Busted and Blue,” “Sex Murder Party (feat. Jamie Principle and Zebra Katz)” and “Carnival (feat. Anthony Hamilton).” The final two songs work perfectly together with “Hallelujah Money (feat. Benjamin Clementine)” taking the listeners to the lowest point in this world while “We Got the Power (feat. Jehnny Beth)” serves as a source of hope. It is brilliant bookend for an album that explores a dark world.
The album also has a deluxe edition with one extra interlude and five bonus songs. These bonus tracks maintain the positive outlook the standard edition ends on. In “Halfway to the Halfway House (feat. Peven Everett),” Peven Everett sings about finding mercy, while “Circle of Friendz (feat. Brandon Markell Holmes)” is a song literally chanting that we can all be friends in the end. “Out of Body (feat. Kilo Kish, Zebra Katz and Imani Vonshà)” takes listeners back to the party, with it being one of the danciest songs Gorillaz has ever put out.
Overall, “Humanz” is another fascinating journey from Gorillaz. While originally based off an impossible thought, that same idea makes this album a strong political statement. It presents very real fears about the world we live in but also serves as a rallying cry for the hope that is present in the world. After seven years, Gorillaz is still as relevant as ever.
I’m happy I held off from buying the album, yet another clueless celebrity talking about subject they have no clue about.
trump was literally a celebrity who had no experience in politics, you have no idea how stupid it wa to say that ^^^