‘Damascus’ (feat. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey) is the latest brand new track from Gorillaz, the fourth from the band’s upcoming new studio album The Mountain.
The Mountain will release on February 27, 2026 on the band’s own new label KONG.
https://gorillaz.ffm.to/damascus
https://gorillaz.ffm.to/damascusvisualiser
Written by Damon Albarn, Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey and recorded in Damascus, London, Devon, Mumbai and New York, Damascus features Syrian superstar of Bedouin music Omar Souleyman alongside rapper and singer Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def). Already firmly established as a fan favourite, the track received its live debut at the special surprise performance of The Mountain at London’s Copper Box Arena in September, ahead of an ecstatic reception at both Madrid’s Gaia Festival and Together For Palestine at Wembley Arena, an event which saw Damon Albarn and the Gorillaz live band also joined on stage by The London Arab Orchestra.
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 Tour will kick off with two warm-up shows in Bradford on March 13 and 14, before opening in Manchester on March 20, 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 June 20, 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 below and at Gorillaz.com.
Following last year’s acclaimed London run, the iconic gates of Kong – the fabled home of Gorillaz – will open in Downtown L.A. when a celebrated new immersive exhibition House of Kong opens for a limited 4-week run from February 26 to March 22, 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 February 22 and 23. These standalone U.S. dates will see Damon 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.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
The Mountain is produced by Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egglenton and Remi Kabaka Jr., plus Bizarrap (Orange County), The Mountain was recorded at Studio 13 in London and Devon, various locations in India including Mumbai, New Delhi, Rajasthan and Varanasi, as well as Ashgabat, Damascus, Los Angeles, Miami and New York. The album features artists performing in five languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish and Yoruba.
The artwork for The Mountain sees visual artist Jamie Hewlett’s distinctive, yet ever-evolving, style illustrate the world of Gorillaz with detailed and beautiful intricacy across a series of hand-drawn images which capture Murdoc, Noodle, Russel and 2D’s time in India working on the new album, available both as a book and as a collection of 12×12 prints.
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; Limited Edition Collectors Box (incl. Art Prints).
Pre-order – https://gorillaz.ffm.to/themountain
The Mountain Tour 2026:
Tour Tickets & Information: www.gorillaz.com
About GORILLAZ:
Created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, Gorillaz is singer 2D, bassist Murdoc Niccals, drummer Russel Hobbs and Japanese guitar prodigy Noodle. The BRIT and Grammy-winning virtual band formed following a collision of mishaps, meetings and pure luck to blow up a pre-digital world with their colourful backstory and ground-breaking virtual ways. Based at Kong Studios, Gorillaz settled into a life of musical innovation with an eye-wateringly exciting roster of collaborators, a list that includes musical legends, geniuses and future stars from Elton John to Little Simz, MF Doom to Jean-Michel Jarre, Grace Jones to slowthai, Kali Uchis to Sidiki Diabaté, plus so many more. With eight albums to their name, Gorillaz (2001), Demon Days (2005), Plastic Beach (2010), The Fall (2011), Humanz (2017), The Now Now (2018), Song Machine: Season One – Strange Timez (2020) and Cracker Island (2023), Gorillaz is a truly global phenomenon, achieving success in entirely new and unique ways, touring the world from San Diego to Syria, Montevideo to Manchester and winning numerous awards including the coveted Jim Henson Creativity Honor.
About KONG
KONG is Gorillaz’ own label. The band’s ninth studio album The Mountain is KONG’s first release, with global digital and physical distribution via The Orchard.
