It’s no secret Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett are hard at work on a new Gorillaz album. While the duo had initially hoped to release the record before year’s end, last month Hewlett told fans that a 2017 release was more realistic. He added that the album was “really fucking special” and couldn’t be rushed.

As GorillazNorthAmerica points out, Albarn offered his own progress report during an appearance on BBC 6 Radio over the weekend. “Later in the year we’ll be starting to get the whole Gorillaz thing together,” Albarn explained. Albarn added that he’s “loving” the material written thus far and believes the album “should be ready fairly soon.”



The as-yet-untitled LP will mark Gorillaz’s fifth full-length release and the follow-up to 2010’s The Fall. While many details about the new album remain secret, we do know Albarn has worked with the likes of legendary French composer Jean Michel-Jarre, producer Twilite Tone, singer-songwriter Liam Bailey, and Chicago rapper Vic Mensa.

Listen to Albarn’s comments: