Album Review: Humanz by Gorillaz

Damon Albarn’s simian quartet Gorillaz return with Humanz, just in time for the end of humanity?

It’s hard not to see doomsday prophecies everywhere in our increasingly apocalyptic-seeming age.

However, if nemeses Damon Albarn and Noel Gallagher crooning to one another about the power of communion isn’t a sign of hell freezing over, it’s at least a weather warning that you should bring a jumper down there.

The unexpected collaboration between the former Blur and Oasis arch-rivals is only one vision of the end times on Gorillaz’ new record, Humanz. (The album-length narration by Aussie Ben Mendelsohn is another. When Gorillaz are going Full Mendo, you know you should be nervous.)

The all-animated band—corralled by Albarn and designed by artist Jamie Hewlett—have recruited a range of collaborators for their first record in seven years, and the song titles alone indicate the grim, grotesque mood of 2017: “Sex Murder Party”. “Submission”. “Carnival”. “Busted and Blue”.

But a constellation of American guests (Vince Staples, D.R.A.M., Kali Uchis, Danny Brown, Mavis Staples, Pusha T) can't scrub the Britishness off Humanz. The dour, acid-rainy day subject matter—sometimes abstract yet always hyper-specific to our lives today—is complemented by Madchester-era bleeps and bloops, and familiar drum machine fills. Albarn can’t Brexit Britpop.

Opening tune “Ascension”, a double-speed scene-setter, offers a chorus that also works as a mission statement, courtesy of Staples: “The sky’s falling, baby/ Drop that ass ‘fore it crash.” The tunes that follow revel in Armageddon imagery. (“I’m left in a stew,” Albarn’s animated stand-in, 2-D, stutters on the droning “Charger”; “If this be the end, then so shall it be,” Benjamin Clementine reflects on the spooky “Hallelujah Money,” released the day before Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.) Humanz is a party album. It’s just not for a very pleasant party.

The sultry dancehall grind of “Saturnz Barz”, anchored by Jamaican rapper Popcaan, and Gorillaz’ latest, nuttiest meeting with De La Soul, “Momentz”, are early highlights, though a sensation of sameness eventually sets in.

It takes 20 tracks for Humanz to take a turn for the optimistic: with the Albarn/Gallagher closer “We Got the Power”, which includes a gargantuan vocal performance from Savages’ Jehnny Beth too. The trio, in little more than two minutes, produce a pulsating call-to-action for unity and empathy. “We did it before and we’ll do it again,” they brightly harmonise.

The Deluxe version of Humanz stretches on for six more songs. “We Got the Power”—even with its vague hopefulness, after 19 menacing bangers—is what lingers most.

Originally designed as a bizarro rock quartet comprised of cartoon animals, it now seems, twenty years later, Gorillaz are looking back at us with the same cockeyed confusion on Humanz. We’re the weirdos now.

Then again, Liam Gallagher recently called Albarn “that gobsh*** out of blur” and accused brother Noel of being “a massive girl”. (He also, not inaccurately, compared “We’ve Got the Power” unfavourably to “Dancing in the Streets”.) So, maybe humans—just like Gorillaz—haven’t mutated as dramatically as we thought.

3/5

Humanz is now available.