Gorillaz Detail New Music, Video Series ‘Song Machine’

Gorillaz will launch a new music and cartoon series, “Song Machine,” Thursday with a new track, “Momentary Bliss,” featuring British MC Slowthai and the punk duo Slaves.

“Song Machine” will find Gorillaz moving forward outside the constraints of a typical album cycle. Per a press release, the series will find the animated outfit teaming with an “ever-evolving roster” of collaborators, with episodes coming together in the band’s Kong Studios. The series won’t have a set schedule, with Gorillaz promising the “spontaneous delivery of episodes throughout the year.”

Tuesday, Gorillaz shared the “Song Machine” theme music, while today they dropped “Machine Bitez #1,” a short skit featuring members 2D, Murdoc and Russel.

In a “statement,” Gorillaz drummer Russel said, “‘Song Machine’ is a whole new way of doing what we do. Gorillaz breaking the mould ‘cos the mould got old. World is moving faster than a supercharged particle, so we’ve gotta stay ready to drop. We don’t even know who’s stepping through the studio next. ‘Song Machine’ feeds on the unknown, runs on pure chaos. So whatever the hell’s coming, we’re primed and ready to produce like there’s no tomorrow. Y’know, just in case.”

Gorillaz — the long-time project of Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett — released their most recent album, The Now Now, in 2018. The previous year, they dropped Humanz, which at the time marked their first LP since 2010’s The Fall. Last December, the band released a new documentary, Reject False Icons, which chronicled the prolific three-year period that produced The Now Now and Humanz.