British virtual band Gorillaz is set to release their ninth studio album, “The Mountain,” on February 27, 2026. The follow up to 2023’s “Cracker Island” will be the first released under their new label, “Kong.”
The album first debuted and was played in full at the “House of Kong” museum and art exhibition in London on September 3 2025. On September 11, 2025, it was officially announced to the public, along with the artwork, original release date of March 20, 2026, and lead single “The Happy Dictator,” featuring American art-pop duo Sparks. To date, five singles have been released. “The Mountain” has been consistently hyped up by the band, with plenty of promotional material and a “House of Kong” exhibition coming to LA on February 26, 2026.
“The Mountain” follows the story of the animated band members Murdoc, Russel, Noodle, and 2D, as they travel to Mumbai, India. The album features Indian and Middle Eastern influences, and takes inspiration from the “gloriously technicolor” country of India, said musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, the co-founders of the band. It was also based on the losses both founders experienced during their travels to India. According to Rolling Stone Magazine, Albarn and Hewlett found comfort with the interpretation of death found in religions like Buddhism, which are very prevalent in India, and chose to represent it with their virtual band. Hewlett’s newest artwork for the album certainly makes clear of this inspiration, depicting the band in India taking in the sights and sounds.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Hewlett explained, “Losing our fathers, and losing my mother-in-law, and then being in India as an artist. Visually, if you’re an artist and you go to India and it doesn’t blow your mind, then you must be blind, you know?”
The fifteen songs on the record, as shown on music streaming platforms, are stacked with features, and we even see posthumous appearances from previous contributors, such as Bobby Womack, David Jolicoeur, and Tony Allen. Five different languages are sung throughout the album: English, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, and Yoruba.
In the first review of the album, Kevin Harley of Record Collector magazine said, “A record of sorrows, salves and state-of-the-now despair, The Mountain is a rich, rewarding take on living with and after loss, brimming with feeling, character and vibrant pop purpose.”
All in all, “The Mountain” is sure to impress fans with a brand new direction for the band.
