Blur
The Ballad of Darren
Parlophone/Warner
Released 07/21/23 | Listen Below

As an Amazon affiliate partner, Albumism earns commissions from qualifying purchases.

Eight years since their most recent studio album (2015’s The Magic Whip), Blur have unveiled their ninth studio album The Ballad of Darren. Preceded by lead singles “The Narcissist” and “St. Charles Square,” the 10-track, James Ford produced album will be supported by a series of summer performances across various European locales and festivals, following two recent back-to-back nights gracing London’s famed Wembley Stadium stage.

“This is an aftershock record, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now,” Damon Albarn states in an official statement. “It always feels very natural to make music together,” Dave Rowntree explains. “With every record we do, the process reveals something new and we develop as a band. We don’t take that for granted.”

Return to Main Index

Listen/Watch:

Jamiroquai’s ‘Travelling Without Moving’ Turns 30 | Album Anniversary

Three decades on and despite loads of unwarranted criticism, Jamiroquai’s terrific third studio album still sounds as fresh and invigorating as ever.

Bob Dylan’s ‘Modern Times’ Turns 20 | Album Anniversary

‘Modern Times’ mourns a musical idiom by giving it another good try, because if it’s in your bones, that’s how you grieve stuff anyway.

The Roots’ ‘Game Theory’ Turns 20 | Album Anniversary

The Roots’ seventh studio affair is the disquieted soundtrack to learning you’re in a game engineered for you to lose—a first-person shooter with your weapons removed.