The Ballad of Darren is set for release on 21 July, meaning it will arrive just a couple of weeks after their huge Wembley Stadium shows.
To mark the news of the new 10-track album, the band have shared its lead single: hazy alt-rock tune ‘The Narcissist’, which bears frontman Damon Albarn’s typically longing vocals. Have a listen below.
Each member of Blur has said a few words ahead of the new album, which goes as follows…
Damon Albarn: “This is an aftershock record, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now.”
Graham Coxon: “The older and madder we get, it becomes more essential that what we play is loaded with the right emotion and intention. Sometimes just a riff doesn’t do the job.”
Alex James: “For any long term relationship to last with any meaning you have to be able to surprise each other somehow and somehow we all continue to do that.”
Dave Rowntree: “It always feels very natural to make music together. With every record we do, the process reveals something new and we develop as a band. We don’t take that for granted.”
In addition to the Wembley shows, Blur have also announced a number of warm-up dates to kick-off their summer, which will include their first ever performance at local landmark Colchester Arts Centre, in the hometown of Albarn, Coxon and Rowntree.
See the full tracklisting and album artwork for ‘The Ballad of Darren’ below.
The complete track-listing for ‘The Ballad of Darren’ is:
- The Ballad
- St Charles Square
- Barbaric
- Russian Strings
- The Everglades (For Leonard)
- The Narcissist
- Goodbye Albert
- Far Away Island
- Avalon
- The Heights
Find out which Blur album didn’t win a Mercury Prize (to everyone’s surprise!)
