Photo by Kirstie Shanley

Dreams of Blur finally releasing a eighth album can rest easy for now: In the current issue of NME, producer William Orbit (who worked on Blur's album 13) said that he had been recording with the band, but that Damon Albarn halted sessions three weeks ago:

"The new stuff sounded amazing. Then it all stopped suddenly. It was all over with Damon, and the rest of the band were like, 'Is this it?'"

The magazine highlights a Tweet by Orbit from the end of March, responding to a fan's query regarding new material:

"Blur could have been good. But Damon, brilliant and talented tho he is, is kinda a shit to the rest of Blur."

"A shit" or not, Blur are set to play a series of UK gigs this summer, culminating in a show at Hyde Park as part of London's Olympics celebrations. They're also putting out a box set. Damon Albarn released his opera album Dr. Dee earlier this month.

Watch Blur perform "Tender" at Glastonbury 2009 below: