Aisha Sembhi
“Unbelievable how Gorillaz refuses to drop in quality whatsoever,” says the top comment on the YouTube audio for the group’s latest release ‘Silent Running’.
And unbelievable it is. The virtual band has curated an almost aggressively versatile discography throughout their fifteen years of existence, successfully manipulating polarising genres into a glorious seven-album catalogue. Renowned for their experimentation, the group has established a reputation for making the weird and wonderful work in the mainstream.
With ‘Silent Running’, however, the animated artists pursue a safer path. The track, released on 27 January, is a side-step away from the hip-hop-centric sound that has been prevalent within Gorillaz’s archive for the last half-decade. It’s the fifth single from the group’s upcoming eighth studio album, ‘Cracker Island’, due for issue on 24 February. With production courtesy of nine-time Grammy award-winner Greg Kurstin, in collaboration with British musician Remi Kabaka Jr., the LP promises to be a fan favourite.
The album releases so far have been littered with star-studded features, including bassist Thundercat on the titular lead single ‘Cracker Island’, as well as Tame Impala and Bootie Brown on ‘New Gold’ and Beck on ‘Possession Island’.
“that sort of mesmerising dreamlike state you get in when you’re just following some train of thought.”
Gorillaz founder and Blue frontman Damon Albarn describes the group’s latest release as encapsulating “that sort of mesmerising dreamlike state you get in when you’re just following some train of thought.” Though somewhat grandiose, Albarn’s suggestions are true to their word. ‘Silent Running’ transports listeners to an imagined universe in which the audience, alongside the fictitious characters of the band – 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs, and Noodle – are at peace.
Despite the group’s impressive ability to create such an aura, ‘Silent Running’ is perhaps the least noteworthy of the five Cracker Island releases so far. With slower pacing and a monotonous familiarity, the track does a disservice to the group’s reputation for producing abstract sound.
It’s a semi-stripped back soul track, featuring long-time collaborator and tour vocalist, Adeleye Omotayo. Omotayo’s contribution is the obvious highlight, with his silky smooth vocals complementing the lo-fi ambiance. Without this, ‘Silent Running’ would be entirely lost amongst the album’s previous releases, which are ultimately more fun, more exciting, and simply more Gorillaz.
Fluid in pacing with cryptic lyrics to accompany, ‘Silent Running’ takes elements from a soul formula that would be impressive if it came from any other artist. But, for a group that has built its appeal on throwing this formula out altogether, the track falls short of expectations. Though it isn’t the genre-defining brilliance fans are used to, it’s still enjoyable and inoffensive. But it commits the cardinal sin the group has so far managed to avoid in this album cycle – being boring.
Image courtesy of Adi Goldstein via Unsplash. See image license here. No changes were made to this image.
Aisha Sembhi
Aisha is a BBC Journalism Researcher, covering news, politics, and pop culture (and, wherever possible, the blend between the three!).