Blur are officially back with The Ballad of Darren, their first album in eight years. Listen to the complete project below via Apple Music and Spotify.
Featuring singles “St. Charles Square” and “The Narcissist” — the latter of which we named Song of the Week — The Ballad of Darren was produced by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, HAIM, Florence + the Machine). In a statement, Damon Albarn described it as “an aftershock record, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now.”
Albarn spoke more extensively about the project in our recent cover story on Blur. The LP marked the band’s most collaborative project in years, with bassist Alex James and guitarist Graham Coxon insisting on working out its 10 songs with Albarn. As a result, the singer called The Ballad of Darren “the first legit [Blur] album since [1999’s] 13.”
In his review of the album for Consequence, Associate Editor Paolo Ragusa called The Ballad of Darren an “enjoyable, heartfelt, and contemplative record.”
In addition to a new album, Blur are in the midst of their first tour since 2015 (grab tickets here). Among the upcoming dates is a July 25th concert at London’s Eventim Apollo, during which they’ll perform The Ballad of Darren in full.
Meanwhile, Albarn, who seemingly cannot stop working, is also writing another opera. Earlier this year, his other band, Gorillaz, put out their eighth studio album, Cracker Island, which features collaborations with Stevie Nicks, Bad Bunny, Thundercat, Beck, and more.
The Ballad of Darren Artwork:
The Ballad of Darren Tracklist:
01. The Ballad
02. St Charles Square
03. Barbaric
04. Russian Strings
05. The Everglades (For Leonard)
06. The Narcissist
07. Goodbye Albert
08. Far Away Island
09. Avalon
10. The Heights
