Gorillaz release "Orange County" (ft. Bizarre, Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar)
Gorillaz climb “The Mountain” with a new track out today entitled Orange County (ft. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson & Anoushka Shankar), which comes with its companion track The Hardest Thing (ft Tony Allen). Side by side on new studio album “The Mountain” - out on 27th February 2026 on Gorillaz’ own new label KONG - the two tracks are also available now on a limited-edition Double A Side 7” vinyl. You can experience the full two track 8-minute piece as intended, here on YouTube below:
Written by Damon Albarn, The Hardest Thing opens with the voice of longtime collaborator and friend, the pioneering musician and drummer Tony Allen who passed away in 2020. The song is a beautiful exploration of grief and hope, both central themes on new album The Mountain, with the haunting lyric, “You know the hardest thing is to say goodbye to someone you love, That is the hardest thing” carrying through into Orange County. The uplifting track sees Albarn joined by singer-songwriter and poet Kara Jackson on vocals, as well as 14-time Grammy-nominated sitar player Anoushka Shankar. Produced by Gorillaz and Bizarrap, Orange County was written by Damon Albarn, former U.S. National Youth Poet Laureate, Kara Jackson, and four-time Latin Grammy-winning, Argentine artist, producer and musical innovator Bizarrap.
“The Mountain” is Gorillaz’ ninth studio album, an expansive sonic landscape of instruments and sounds, richly layered with voices, melodies and addictive beats, spanning a collection of 15 songs that embody the very essence of Gorillaz’ collaborative ethos. The record features an extraordinary list of artists and collaborators including: 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, Sparks, Trueno and Yasiin Bey; as well as the 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.
'The Mountain' – Album Tracklisting:
The Mountain (feat. Dennis Hopper, Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash)
The Moon Cave (feat. Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda and Black Thought)
The Happy Dictator (feat. Sparks)
The Hardest Thing (feat. Tony Allen)
Orange County (feat. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar)
The God of Lying (feat. IDLES)
The Empty Dream Machine (feat. Black Thought, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
The Manifesto (feat. Trueno and Proof)
The Plastic Guru (feat. Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
Delirium (feat. Mark E. Smith)
Damascus (feat. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey)
The Shadowy Light (feat. Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Ajay Prasanna, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash)
Casablanca (feat. Paul Simonon and Johnny Marr)
The Sweet Prince (feat. Ajay Prasanna, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
The Sad God (feat. Black Thought, Ajay Prasanna and Anoushka Shankar)
“The Mountain” will be available in the following formats: Digital Download; Standard CD; Deluxe 2CD; Standard Vinyl; Hardback Book Vinyl Edition; LP Picture Disc Vinyl; Individual Character Cassettes; Limited Edition Collectors Box (incl. Art Prints), and is available to pre-order now HERE.
The Mountain Tour will kick off with two sold-out warm-up shows in Bradford on 13 and 14 March before opening in Manchester on 20 March 2026. The tour will visit arenas across the UK and Ireland, with headline shows in Birmingham, Glasgow (SOLD OUT), Leeds, Cardiff (SOLD OUT), Nottingham, Liverpool, Belfast (SOLD OUT) and Dublin (SOLD OUT); plus a one-off headline show at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 20 June 2026 - the band’s biggest UK show to date - with support from Sparks and Trueno. The tour will also take in a run of festival performances across Europe next summer. See complete list of dates and ticket information on the Gorillaz website HERE.
Following last year’s acclaimed London run, the iconic gates of Kong – the fabled home of Gorillaz - will open in Downtown L.A for the last time when the celebrated immersive exhibition House of Kong opens for a final, limited 4-week run from 26 February to 19 March 2026 at Rolling Greens. Exhibition tickets are on sale now. The exhibition will be accompanied by two very special one-off Gorillaz shows at the Hollywood Palladium taking place on 22 and 23 February. These standalone U.S. dates will seeDamon Albarn and the Gorillaz live band joined onstage by special guests to perform the band’s new album “The Mountain” in full, from beginning to end, all under the watchful eye of Murdoc, Noodle, Russel and 2D.
Orange County (feat. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson & Anoushka Shankar) + The Hardest Thing (feat. Tony Allen) is a double single release, available digitally and as a limited-edition Double A Side 7 inch vinyl and you can stream there HERE.
