Blur have shared details of their surprise new album, ‘The Ballad Of Darren’, which arrives this summer.
Ahead of a run of live dates across the UK and Europe, the Britpop icons have unveiled their latest, 10-track collection, due July 21 via Parlophone.
Marking their first LP since 2015’s ‘The Magic Whip’, the album was produced by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Foals, Depeche Mode) and recorded at Studio 13 in London and Devon.
New album, The Ballad of Darren, out 21st July 2023.https://t.co/NYFL2LW7On pic.twitter.com/5uh5O5q5yl
— blur (@blurofficial) May 18, 2023
Speaking about the project, frontman Damon Albarn describes ‘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,” adds Graham Coxon.
Bassist Alex James notes 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 admits 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 explains.
The artwork for the album features an image of Gourock lido in Renfrewshire by British photographer Martin Parr.
‘The Ballad of Darren’ is available to pre-order now.
1. The Ballad
2. St Charles Square
3. Barbaric
4. Russian Strings
5. The Everglades (For Leonard)
6. The Narcissist
7. Goodbye Albert
8. Far Away Island
9. Avalon
10. The Heights
Buy ‘The Ballad of Darren’ on CD and Vinyl.
