Britpop legends Blur have announced the release of their new studio album ‘The Ballad of Darren‘, their first in over eight years.
The follow-up to 2015’s The Magic Whip, produced by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode), will be out on July via Parlophone, featuring new single “The Narcissist“. Pre-order it here.
In a press statement, Damon Albarn said: “This is an aftershock record, reflection, and comment on where we find ourselves now.”
Graham Coxon added: “The older and madder we get, it becomes more essential that what we play is loaded with the right emotion and intention. Sometimes just a riff doesn’t do the job.”
Bassit Alex James words: “For any long-term relationship to last with any meaning you have to be able to surprise each other somehow and somehow we all continue to do that.” – Alex James
While drummer Dave Rowntree said: “It always feels very natural to make music together. With every record we do, the process reveals something new and we develop as a band. We don’t take that for granted.”
Check out the albums artwork and artwork below, followed by “The Narcissist“.
The Ballad of Darren Tracklist
- The Ballad
- St Charles Square
- Barbaric
- Russian Strings
- The Everglades (For Leonard)
- The Narcissist
- Goodbye Albert
- Far Away Island
- Avalon
- The Heights
BLUR Upcoming Tour Dates
MAY
19th Colchester Arts Centre
21st Eastbourne Winter Gardens
26th Wolverhampton The Halls
28th Newcastle O2 City Hall
JUNE
01 Parc Del Fòrum – Primavera Sound 2023 Barcelona, Spain
08 Arganda Del Rey – Primavera Sound / I’ll Be Your Mirror 2023 Madrid, Spain
10 Parque Da Cidade – Primavera Porto 2023 Porto,Portugal
24 Malahide Castle Dublin, Ireland
27 Ziggo Dome Amsterdam, Netherlands
30 Roskilde Festival Roskilde, Denmark
JULY
06 Hérouville-Saint-Clair – Beauregard Festival Normandy, France
08 Wembley Stadium London, Uk
09 Wembley Stadium London, Uk
14 Vieilles Charrues Festival Brittany, France
22 Lucca Summer Festival Lucca, Italy
AUGUST
08 Lokerse Feesten Lokeren, Belgium
10 Øya Festival Oslo, Norway
11 Way Out West Festival Gothenburg, Sweden
13 Flow Festival Helsinki, Finland
19 Summer Sonic 2023 Tokyo, Japan
20 Maishima Sonic Park, Summer Sonic 2023 Osaka, Japan
NOV 21 Movistar Arena Bogotá, Colombia
