Gorillaz, 'Humanz': Over-packed and under-baked
- Static Surge
- Aug 17, 2024
- 4 min read
The little pink ipod nano I'd always clip onto my jacket lapel as a child was stuffed to the brim with a vast range of artists leeched from my dad's iTunes library, ranging from classic musicians such as David Bowie and Depeche Mode to more modern artists like Lana Del Rey and Lady Gaga. 'Gorillaz' (self-titled, 2001), 'Demon Days' (2005) and 'Plastic Beach' (2010) were among my favourites of the bunch. I was drawn to the characters and the stories that went hand-in-hand with each album; watching each music video in order as though they were a mini-movie of sorts.
As much as I'm ashamed to admit it as an adult, I ran a Gorillaz fan-page as a teenager- and a relatively popular one at that. Teasers for 'Humanz' (2017) began to emerge- Jamie Hewlett began sharing artwork of 2D, Noodle, Russel and Murdoc, the official Gorillaz page began teasing releases. Hype began to build, fans analysing every post and detail shared by Hewlett and Albarn. The contents of the album were as enigmatic as the marketing surrounding it; nobody knew anything about it other than the tidbits we were fed.
'Hallelujah Money' (Featuring Benjamin Clementine) dropped out of the blue on the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration as president of the United States. The accompanying video features an interior shot of the elevator inside Trump Tower- footage from 'Animal Farm', inverted footage of fans cosplaying as fictional singer 2D, an animated tolling bell backed by stars and stripes and footage taken from an episode of Spongebob Squarepants loops eerily behind Clementine, who remains static. Juxtaposed with these visuals are haunting vocals and eerie synths, describing the America Trump promised his supporters. As Albarn's vocals fade in, Clementine cowers behind a book. A puppet version of 2D can be seen silhouetted in the background, a fitting homage to the original 2001 music video accompanying classic Gorillaz single 'Clint Eastwood' (featuring Del the Funky Homosapien)- though this silhouette quickly morphs into that of president-elect Trump, pointing a finger.
Whilst this was an interesting pick for the first single from 'Humanz', the timing of 'Hallelujah Money' was appropriate and set the tone for what was to come, an early hint to the album's overarching theme. Albarn described this as; “I told everyone to imagine you’re in America after the inauguration and it’s the worst-case scenario: how would you feel that night? Let’s make a party record about the world going fucking nuts.”.
Anticipation was high, yet... upon release, the album fell disappointingly flat.
Tracks such as 'She's My Collar' (featuring Kali Uchis), 'Andromeda' and 'Saturnz barz' (featuring Popcaan) were running on repeat, whilst a few other tracks such as 'Submission' (featuring Danny Brown and Kelela) and 'We Got The Power' (featuring Jehnny Beth) were somewhat disappointing. This is not to say they weren't good songs in their own right- they just didn't 'feel' like Gorillaz songs.
I attended the 'Humanz' tour with a VIP pass in Glasgow at age 16- this was my first-ever concert and I had a blast. I situated myself at the front barrier, right in the centre. My ribs were slightly bruised the following day, but I'd say it was worth it. Damon and the other collaborators in attendance put on a fantastic show, with many of the songs sounding even better than the studio version- even those I wasn't so keen on to begin with. For example, 'Momentz' (Featuring De La Soul) feels a little bit flat and without substance in the studio version- which is disappointing given how fantastic 'Feel Good Inc.' and 'Superfast Jellyfish' are. However, this same song sounds fantastic live. The same goes for the interestingly named 'Sex Murder Party' (featuring Jamie Principle and Zebra Katz). In this instance, the studio version was already a classic, but the live version was mind-blowingly good. Zebra Katz and Damon Albarn made their way into the crowd in the latter half of the song, high-fiving fans as they moved along the barrier. The entire duration of the song felt like a mega-scale party that the entire arena was invited to.
As a whole? I found the studio version of 'Humanz' to be a little lacklustre. No two Gorillaz albums have ever been the same, nor ever will. The sound and creative direction of each differs from the last, but 'Humanz' just didn't pack the same punch as previous installations despite having a few stand-out tracks like 'Garage Palace' (featuring Little Simz), included in the deluxe version of Humanz.
Whilst acknowledging that collaborations with other artists, big and small, have always been at the very heart of Gorillaz since the beginning, this album felt so jam-packed with features that it wasn't as enjoyable as previous instalments. It would seem Albarn acknowledged that fans were disappointed by the lack of collaborator-free tracks, considering 'Sleeping Powder' was released a mere month after 'Humanz' as a standalone track.
A few songs were memorable enough to earn a spot on my playlist, however the majority were forgettable enough that I forgot most of them existed until I revisited the album to write up my thoughts.
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