Blur’s first album in eight years dropped last week, and now the Britpop stalwarts have given fans another treat, tacking-on two extra tracks to a deluxe version of the LP.
Both new offerings are welcome additions to the LP, together surmising the overall feel and sound of the record; ‘The Rabbi’ being a jaunty singalong, ‘The Swan’ a wistful, minimal number.
This strikes a chord with our assessment of the record in our four-star review, writing: “There’s a knowingness about the emotional panoply they’ve spun for themselves on their new record, The Ballad of Darren; a range they draw upon critically across the album’s ten tracks.
“This album isn’t so much a greatest hits collection as a distillation of everything that’s worked about them before.”
Have a listen to both tracks below.
As well as providing audiences with a bit of welcome nostalgia, The Ballad of Darren is also on course to do well in the charts, and bag Damon Albarn and co. their seventh UK Number 1 album.
I say on course, the LP is currently outselling the rest of the Top 10 combined. Figures reported yesterday by Music Week, put it at 32,019 sales – well-ahead of second-placed Greta Van Fleet’s Starcatcher (4,375 sales).
The release of today’s two new tunes comes ahead of Blur’s only full live performance of their latest album, taking place at Hammersmith’s Eventim Apollo later today, Tuesday 25 July.
