Blur to Release New Album ‘The Ballad Of Darren,’ Drop First Single ‘The Narcissist’

Blur will be releasing their first album in eight years, “The Ballad of Darren,” later this summer, the band announced on Thursday morning. The news arrived with an early taste of the 10-song collection, a guitar-driven single titled “The Narcissist.”

The album, which will be released on July 21 on Parlophone, follows their last reunion album — 2015’s “The Magic Whip” — and was produced by James Ford, who last worked with Blur’s Damon Albarn for the Gorillaz’s 2018 album “The Now Now.”

“This is an aftershock record, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now,” said Albarn of the new record in a statement. Lead guitarist 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.”

“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,” said bassist Alex James.

The record came as a surprise to many though members of the Brit-pop band and even Ford had previously made comments about new Blur music after the band revealed they would be reuniting for two headlining appearances at Wembley Stadium in July.

The band is also set to play this year’s Primavera Sound and will perform a slate of concerts throughout Europe in the summer with their first stop being a homecoming show at the Colchester Arts Centre on May 19.

‘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