Gorillaz Detail New Album ‘The Mountain,’ Share Single ‘The Happy Dictator’ Featuring Sparks

Gorillaz announced a new album, The Mountain, due out on March 20, 2026, via the band’s own new label KONG. Damon Albarn and company also released the single, “The Happy Dictator,” featuring Sparks.

Gorillaz are fresh on the heels of their triumphant House of Kong 25th anniversary performances at Copper Box Arena in London. Some lucky fans got an advance preview of The Mountain when Gorillaz performed it live for their “Mysterey Show” during the run.

Along with renowned pop duo Sparks, guests on The Mountain include 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, Trueno and Yasiin Bey.

A press release also noted The Mountain contains “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,” as per the press release.

The press materials continued:

Circumstances now find Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs, 2D and Noodle in India, having made their way to Mumbai with the help of four fake passports courtesy of a New York business acquaintance of Murdoc. The band has turned its back on international pop stardom, with our heroes now immersed in the rhythms of mystical music-making, as they navigate the mountainous terrain of this thing called life.

“As space dust we are here forever and that’s a mighty long time,” drummer Russel Hobbs said. “This is a musical meditation infused with light. A journey of the soul, with beats…”

Gorillaz co-founder Jamie Hewlett’s artwork for The Mountain finds Murdoc, Noodle, Russel and 2D atop the new spiritual mountain they have discovered. A book and a collection of 12×12 prints of the band’s time working in India will also be available.

Portions of The Mountain — produced by Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egglenton, Remi Kabaka Jr. and Bizarrap — were recorded in India including Mumbai, New Delhi, Rajasthan and Varanasi. Primary sessions took place at Studio 13 in London and Devon. Additional locations include Ashgabat, Damascus, Los Angeles, Miami and New York. The album is sung in five languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish and Yoruba.

Preview The Mountain with “The Happy Dictator” below:

Gorillaz also announced The Mountain Tour dates in the UK and Ireland. The trek kicks off on March 21, 2026 in Manchester followed by shows in Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Cardiff, Nottingham, Liverpool, Belfast and Dublin. A one-off headline sdhow will also take place in London on June 20, 2026.

A presale begins September 17 at 11:00 a.m. GMT+1.

The Mountain Tracklist:

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)