We've already heard a good chunk of Gorillaz's upcoming album The Mountain via singles like "The Happy Dictator" featuring Sparks, "The God Of Lying" featuring IDLES, "Damascus" featuring Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey, and "The Manifesto" featuring Trueno and Proof. We still have a little over a month left before the album — which is a substantial 15 songs — is out in full, but today, we get to hear two more new ones: "The Hardest Thing," which features the late Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen, and "Orange County," which features Bizarrap, Kara Jackson, and Anoushka Shankar.
Allen and Gorillaz mastermind Damon Albarn struck up a friendship before the former died in 2020, including a stint playing together in the supergroup the Good, The Bad & The Queen. "The Hardest Thing" opens with Allen's speaking voice before the track becomes a fanfare tribute, leading into "Orange County," a psychedelic dance trip where Jackson rightfully features prominently on vocals. Check out the trippy video for the two songs below.
The Mountain is out 2/27 on KONG.
