Gorillaz share new track ‘The Manifesto (feat. Trueno and Proof)’
The Mountain – Album Tracklisting:
1. The Mountain (feat. Dennis Hopper, Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Amaan Ali
Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash)
2. The Moon Cave (feat. Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda
and Black Thought)
3. The Happy Dictator (feat. Sparks)
4. The Hardest Thing (feat. Tony Allen)
5. Orange County (feat. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar)
6. The God of Lying (feat. IDLES)
7. The Empty Dream Machine (feat. Black Thought, Johnny Marr and Anoushka
Shankar)
8. The Manifesto (feat. Trueno and Proof)
9. The Plastic Guru (feat. Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
10. Delirium (feat. Mark E. Smith)
11. Damascus (feat. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey)
12. The Shadowy Light (feat. Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Ajay Prasanna, Amaan Ali
Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash)
13. Casablanca (feat. Paul Simonon and Johnny Marr)
14. The Sweet Prince (feat. Ajay Prasanna, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
15. The Sad God (feat. Black Thought, Ajay Prasanna and Anoushka Shankar)
The Mountain will be available in the following formats: Digital Download; Standard CD; Deluxe 2CD (incl. selection of Mystery Show live tracks); Standard Vinyl; Hardback Book Vinyl Edition; Limited Edition Collectors Box (incl. Art Prints). Pre-order HERE.
Following last month’s triumphant surprise performance of new music and the highly-anticipated release of first track The Happy Dictator (feat. Sparks) comes The Manifesto (feat. Trueno and Proof), the second track to be released from Gorillaz’ forthcoming studio album, The Mountain. Listen HERE and watch visualiser HERE.
The Manifesto carries the album’s themes of the cycle of life and the afterlife via the extraordinary talent of Latin Grammy-winning Argentine rap prodigy Trueno who deftly trolls his maker with the declaration “Yo no sé qué va a pasar mañana/Cuando atienda la luz que me llama/Mami mi futuro me reclama/Camino hacia la luz/I have nothing to lose” (I don’t know what tomorrow holds/When I heed the light that’s calling me/Baby, my future is demanding me/I walk toward the light/I have nothing to lose) – until the song is arrestingly bisected by a posthumous riposte from the late Detroit-born D12 rapper and Gorillaz collaborator Proof who declaims: “You aren’t ready for death/Until I showed up, hold breath/Until you blow the on one set,” an inspired moment of freestyling, captured minutes before he entered the booth during an early recording session.
The collaborative intent of The Mountain album is further reflected in the celebratory energy of The Manifesto, which features sarod players Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, brothers who are seventh generation musicians of the Gwalior musical lineage; along with the joyous brass of the legendary Jea Band Jaipur who have been “serving Indian weddings since 1936”; as well as Ajay Prasanna on bansuri and The Mountain Choir led by Vijayaa Shanker.
“As space dust we are here forever and that’s a mighty long time. This is a musical meditation infused with light. A journey of the soul, with beats…“ – Russel Hobbs
The Mountain Tour will kick off in Manchester on 20 March 2026 and visit arenas across the UK and Ireland, with dates in Birmingham, Glasgow (SOLD OUT), Leeds, Cardiff (SOLD OUT), Nottingham, Liverpool, Belfast and Dublin, to include a second show in Manchester and Dublin, recently added due to demand; plus a one-off headline show at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 20 June 2026 – the band’s biggest UK show to date – with support from Sparks and Trueno. Dates and ticket information at Gorillaz.com.
The Mountain is Gorillaz’ ninth studio album, an expansive sonic landscape of instruments and sounds, richly layered with voices, melodies and addictive beats, spanning a collection of 15 songs that embody the very essence of Gorillaz’ collaborative ethos. The record features an extraordinary list of artists and collaborators including: Ajay Prasanna, Amaan & Ayaan Ali Bangash, Anoushka Shankar, Asha Bhosle, Asha Puthli, Bizarrap, Black Thought, Gruff Rhys, IDLES, Jalen Ngonda, Johnny Marr, Kara Jackson, Omar Souleyman, Paul Simonon, Sparks, Trueno and Yasiin Bey; as well as the voices of friends and collaborators who have gone before us, including Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Dennis Hopper, Mark E Smith, Proof and Tony Allen. The Mountain is a playlist for a party on the border between this world and whatever happens next, exploring the journey of life and the thrill of existence.
Produced by Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egglenton and Remi Kabaka Jr., plus Bizarrap (Orange County), The Mountain was recorded at Studio 13 in London and Devon, various locations in India including Mumbai, New Delhi, Rajasthan and Varanasi, as well as Ashgabat, Damascus, Los Angeles, Miami and New York. The album features artists performing in five languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish and Yoruba.
The artwork for The Mountain sees visual artist Jamie Hewlett’s distinctive, yet ever-evolving, style illustrate the world of Gorillaz with detailed and beautiful intricacy across a series of hand-drawn images which capture Murdoc, Noodle, Russel and 2D’s time in India working on the new album, available both as a book and as a collection of 12×12 prints.
Created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, Gorillaz is singer 2D, bassist Murdoc Niccals, drummer Russel Hobbs and Japanese guitar prodigy Noodle. The BRIT and Grammy-winning virtual band formed following a collision of mishaps, meetings and pure luck to blow up a pre-digital world with their colourful backstory and ground-breaking virtual ways. Based at Kong Studios, Gorillaz settled into a life of musical innovation with an eye-wateringly exciting roster of collaborators, a list that includes musical legends, geniuses and future stars from Elton John to Little Simz, MF Doom to Jean-Michel Jarre, Grace Jones to slowthai, Kali Uchis to Sidiki Diabaté, plus so many more. With eight albums to their name, Gorillaz (2001), Demon Days (2005), Plastic Beach (2010), The Fall (2011), Humanz (2017), The Now Now (2018), Song Machine: Season One – Strange Timez (2020) and Cracker Island (2023), Gorillaz is a truly global phenomenon, achieving success in entirely new and unique ways, touring the world from San Diego to Syria, Montevideo to Manchester and winning numerous awards including the coveted Jim Henson Creativity Honor.
At just 24, Argentinian rap phenomenon Trueno has become one of the most influential voices in Latin hip-hop and a rising global star. Crowned champion of both Red Bull Batalla de los Gallos and the Freestyle Master Series , he quickly exploded onto the scene with his viral “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 16” with Bizarrap. His debut album Atrevido spawned the smash “MAMICHULA” (660M+ streams), while follow-up albums, ‘BIEN O MAL’ and ‘EL ÚLTIMO BAILE (DELUXE)’ each surpassed 1 billion streams, delivering global hits like “DANCE CRIP,” “REAL GANGSTA LOVE” (Spotify Global Top 10), and the Latin GRAMMY-winning “TRANKY FUNKY.” With collaborations ranging from J Balvin, Feid, Gorillaz, DJ Premier, Bizarrap, Cypress Hill and Marshmello. Trueno’s reach crosses genres and borders. On stage, his EL ÚLTIMO BAILE WORLD TOUR sold out arenas across Europe, Latin America, and the U.S., while in 2025 he became the first Latin artist to headline Red Bull Symphonic in Buenos Aires. With socially conscious lyrics, magnetic live performances, and a fearless creative vision, Trueno continues redefining Latin hip-hop for a global generation.
The legacy and influence of rapper DeShaun “Proof” Holton remains undisputed almost 20 years after his passing at the age of just 32. A lyrical force and pillar of the Detroit hip-hop scene, his pioneering work as an artist, collaborator and mentor has ensured that he will be forever remembered by all the many lives he touched through music. Driven by a passion and conviction to enrich the lives of others through his love of hip-hop, he is credited as a unifying power in Detroit, mentoring and promoting the careers of other artists, bringing the talent of his hometown to the eyes and ears of the world.
His career accomplishments are endless. From the global impact of his work with D12, Shady Records and Eminem, to his own releases as a solo artist, Proof continues to be one of the most important and authentic voices in hip-hop.
KONG is Gorillaz’ own label. The band’s ninth studio album The Mountain is KONG’s first release, with global digital and physical distribution via The Orchard.
Most other musicians, when they’ve been working for over half a century, are resting on their laurels, basking in the warm glow of their heritage, accepting the odd Lifetime Achievement Award, playing the odd Greatest Hits tour and concentrating on shifting their back catalogue. But Sparks are not most other musicians. They are utterly unique. Levels of interest in the work of Sparks – brothers Ron and Russell Mael – are at heights unsurpassed in their 50+ year career, with the ultimate cult band now centre stage in the full beam of the spotlight. Now into their sixth decade of making music, Sparks have never been more relevant.