“The Mountain” by the Gorillaz
Music fans haven’t been excited for a Gorillaz album since “Plastic Beach.” The album was first announced in Sept. 2025. “The Mountain,” released on Feb. 27, is a follow up to their 2023 album “Cracker Island.”
Their ninth studio album was released by their own record label, Kong. The album includes over 15 tracks with at least one featured artist, including a range of artists such as Paul Simonon, Omar Souleyman, Kara Jackson, Sparks, Bizzarrap, Black Thought and more. Multiple languages are on this album including English, Spanish, Russian, Hindi and Yoruba.
The Gorillaz is a virtual band co-created by lead vocalist Damon Albarn, who handles the musical direction of the band, yet the band features several guest artists and collaborators. Jamie Hewlett designed the band’s iconic animations including the characters and the world that revolves around them.
The fictional frontman is an animated character named 2-D who is the vocalist and keyboard player. The other three official virtual band members include Noodle, Murdoc Niccals and Russel Hobbs. Each member contributes in different ways by playing different instruments.
Along with the album’s release, the Gorillaz have recently been the forefront of many music fans in a variety of ways. The Gorillaz announced their 2026 “The Mountain Tour,” with special guests Little Simz and Deltron 3030, making stops in North, South and Central America.
Additionally, the Gorillaz debuted Saturday Night Live on March 8 with Ryan Gosling hosting for his fifth time. Songs performed included their 2001 classic “Clint Eastwood,” featuring Del The Funky Homosapien, and the new track “The Moon Cave,” featuring Asha Puthli, Black Thought and Anoushka Shankar.
The Gorillaz also released an eight minute animated short film directed by Jamie Hewlett titled “The Mountain, The Moon Cave and The Sad God.” The virtual band members journey through the jungle to find a peak.
The mountain is supposed to symbolize the cycle of life, death and even reincarnation. The animation style was inspired by the 1960s “The Jungle Book” and other early Disney films. It was produced by The Line studio, whose hand-painted developments and digitally enchanted backgrounds took 18 months without the help of AI.
The 15 different songs include instruments that enhance the listeners’ experience.
The album features several Indian classical instruments like the sitar, bansuri, flute, sarod and tabla, along with their regular electronic, hip-hip and alternative rock elements.
This album stands out from other albums because of its immersive listening experience.
Each song on the album sounds similar yet different with new languages being introduced on each album while the blend between instrumentation and techno plays throughout the background.
