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The Now Now
The Now Now is the sixth studio album by the British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 29 June 2018 through Parlophone and Warner Bros. Records.
Gorillaz co-creator and frontman Damon Albarn began writing and recording the album in late 2017 while on the Humanz Tour. The majority of the album was later completed in February 2018 in London during a break in the band's touring schedule, with James Ford serving as producer. Albarn stated that the album was written and recorded in a brief period of time primarily to allow the band to perform new material on their upcoming tour dates, which were later rebranded as The Now Now Tour following the album's release.
Influenced by 1980s new wave and synth-pop, The Now Now eschews the large roster of guest artists featured on the band's previous album, Humanz, instead pursuing a spacey, simplified sound focused on Albarn. As a result, the album includes only three guest artists: George Benson (on lead single "Humility"), and Snoop Dogg and Jamie Principle (on "Hollywood").
The Now Now debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and at number five on the UK Albums Chart. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its cohesion and musical and lyrical simplicity, though some criticized it for a perceived lack of ambition and experimentation.
Following the release of their 2017 album Humanz, the co-creator of Gorillaz, Damon Albarn, had hinted at the possibility of a new Gorillaz album arriving sooner than expected, and said he enjoyed recording and debuting new music while on tour. He compared the spontaneous nature of this process to their 2010 album The Fall and wanted to make another record that would feel similar but more complete in comparison; he said, "if we're going to do more with Gorillaz we don't want to wait seven years because ... we're getting on a bit now". He later confirmed Gorillaz were working on another album that was scheduled for release in 2018.
New songs from the album were performed during the Humanz Tour; Gorillaz debuted "Idaho" during a September 2017 concert in Seattle. In March 2018, during a concert in Santiago, the band debuted "Hollywood", which features Jamie Principle and Snoop Dogg. At this concert, Albarn stated the album had recently been finished and would soon be released. That May, a series of posters that contained phrases such as "G is the Magic Number" and "Save Us from Him" – as well as a URL that pointed to a teaser for the album that revealed its title and release date – were found at the music festival All Points East. The website included a short excerpt from a new song that was later released as "Lake Zurich". On 28 May, the day after the festival ended, Emma de Caunes, the wife of Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett, confirmed the album's release via Instagram.
Recording began during the North American leg of the Humanz Tour in late 2017, but the majority of the album was recorded in February 2018 at Studio 13 in London. In a Radio X interview, Albarn said the album was produced within a short time so the band would have new material to play at upcoming festivals. As a byproduct of the album's expedited production, The Now Now includes fewer guest collaborators than previous Gorillaz records. Albarn credited producer James Ford for extensively contributing to the album's lyrical cohesion, saying; "If this record makes any more sense, it's entirely down to him, not me".
According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic, The Now Now includes elements of 1980s new wave and "yacht soul", which suggest the influence of disco and old-school hip-hop in Albarn's songwriting. Clash magazine described its songs as "slick, mutant funk", while Drowned in Sound noted a "breezy synth-pop style" that it compared with Gorillaz' earlier album Plastic Beach. NME's Thomas Smith called Albarn's lyrics "more introspective" as a result of "[moving] away" from the "bad influences" of 2017's Humanz. Pitchfork described the album as "daydream funk, playful psych-pop, and up-scale disco". Corbin Reid of Uproxx said, "Stuttering synth melodies lock into and swirl around an impressive collection of different and varying drum patterns. The music doesn't knock you down as much as it washes over you like a warm, comforting wave." He also compared it to the music of Tame Impala, noting it is "maybe less psychedelic in execution and more sepia-tinged in feeling". Lily Moayeri from Under the Radar said many of the lyrics are "set in or devoted to the city of Los Angeles", adding "The Now Now gives off the impression of a tour diary". Finn from DIY called the album "A more spaced-out affair, stripped of its star-studded collaborations and bathed in the apparent apathy of the modern age".
The Now Now
The Now Now is the sixth studio album by the British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 29 June 2018 through Parlophone and Warner Bros. Records.
Gorillaz co-creator and frontman Damon Albarn began writing and recording the album in late 2017 while on the Humanz Tour. The majority of the album was later completed in February 2018 in London during a break in the band's touring schedule, with James Ford serving as producer. Albarn stated that the album was written and recorded in a brief period of time primarily to allow the band to perform new material on their upcoming tour dates, which were later rebranded as The Now Now Tour following the album's release.
Influenced by 1980s new wave and synth-pop, The Now Now eschews the large roster of guest artists featured on the band's previous album, Humanz, instead pursuing a spacey, simplified sound focused on Albarn. As a result, the album includes only three guest artists: George Benson (on lead single "Humility"), and Snoop Dogg and Jamie Principle (on "Hollywood").
The Now Now debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and at number five on the UK Albums Chart. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its cohesion and musical and lyrical simplicity, though some criticized it for a perceived lack of ambition and experimentation.
Following the release of their 2017 album Humanz, the co-creator of Gorillaz, Damon Albarn, had hinted at the possibility of a new Gorillaz album arriving sooner than expected, and said he enjoyed recording and debuting new music while on tour. He compared the spontaneous nature of this process to their 2010 album The Fall and wanted to make another record that would feel similar but more complete in comparison; he said, "if we're going to do more with Gorillaz we don't want to wait seven years because ... we're getting on a bit now". He later confirmed Gorillaz were working on another album that was scheduled for release in 2018.
New songs from the album were performed during the Humanz Tour; Gorillaz debuted "Idaho" during a September 2017 concert in Seattle. In March 2018, during a concert in Santiago, the band debuted "Hollywood", which features Jamie Principle and Snoop Dogg. At this concert, Albarn stated the album had recently been finished and would soon be released. That May, a series of posters that contained phrases such as "G is the Magic Number" and "Save Us from Him" – as well as a URL that pointed to a teaser for the album that revealed its title and release date – were found at the music festival All Points East. The website included a short excerpt from a new song that was later released as "Lake Zurich". On 28 May, the day after the festival ended, Emma de Caunes, the wife of Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett, confirmed the album's release via Instagram.
Recording began during the North American leg of the Humanz Tour in late 2017, but the majority of the album was recorded in February 2018 at Studio 13 in London. In a Radio X interview, Albarn said the album was produced within a short time so the band would have new material to play at upcoming festivals. As a byproduct of the album's expedited production, The Now Now includes fewer guest collaborators than previous Gorillaz records. Albarn credited producer James Ford for extensively contributing to the album's lyrical cohesion, saying; "If this record makes any more sense, it's entirely down to him, not me".
According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic, The Now Now includes elements of 1980s new wave and "yacht soul", which suggest the influence of disco and old-school hip-hop in Albarn's songwriting. Clash magazine described its songs as "slick, mutant funk", while Drowned in Sound noted a "breezy synth-pop style" that it compared with Gorillaz' earlier album Plastic Beach. NME's Thomas Smith called Albarn's lyrics "more introspective" as a result of "[moving] away" from the "bad influences" of 2017's Humanz. Pitchfork described the album as "daydream funk, playful psych-pop, and up-scale disco". Corbin Reid of Uproxx said, "Stuttering synth melodies lock into and swirl around an impressive collection of different and varying drum patterns. The music doesn't knock you down as much as it washes over you like a warm, comforting wave." He also compared it to the music of Tame Impala, noting it is "maybe less psychedelic in execution and more sepia-tinged in feeling". Lily Moayeri from Under the Radar said many of the lyrics are "set in or devoted to the city of Los Angeles", adding "The Now Now gives off the impression of a tour diary". Finn from DIY called the album "A more spaced-out affair, stripped of its star-studded collaborations and bathed in the apparent apathy of the modern age".