Blur have released two brand new songs digitally from the deluxe edition of their latest album.
‘The Ballad Of Darren’ is the band’s ninth studio record and first in eight years, with standard editions of the LP featuring 10 songs, including singles The Narcissist and St. Charles Square.
As it rockets towards the UK No. 1 spot, the band has released a new digital edition featuring a pair of extra songs: The Rabbi and The Swan.
Both were originally released exclusively on the deluxe CD version of ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.
Listen to the new songs below.
Speaking about the LP ahead of its release, frontman Damon Albarn described ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ as “an aftershock record” and a “reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now”.
“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,” added Graham Coxon.
Bassist Alex James noted that “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,” while drummer Dave Rowntree admitted their reunion only feels “natural”.
“With every record we do, the process reveals something new and we develop as a band. We don’t take that for granted,” he explained.
The artwork for the album features an image of Gourock lido in Renfrewshire by British photographer Martin Parr.
In a review of the album, RETROPOP called ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ “a lush body of work that reads as a thank you to fans for a lifetime of continued support and a reminder that, decades into their chart-topping run, Blur are very much alive”.
