Following teasers released earlier in the week, Gorillaz finally debuted the first instalment of their mysterious new project, “Song Machine” on January 30th. The quirky track, entitled “Momentary Bliss”, sees the unconventional collective collaborating with UK grime rapper slowthai and punk duo Slaves.
The new tune dropped with a video giving unique insight into the recording process of the track — Damon Albarn, slowthai, Slaves and others working alongside the peculiar personalities of the animated members of Gorillaz.
Speaking with Radio 1’s Annie Mac, Damon Albarn and Remi Kabaka Jr. explained that they no longer envision themselves ‘being constrained to making albums’— this shift in perspective ultimately conceived the concept of “Song Machine”. Throughout the duration of the year, we will see the band sporadically release a series of singles— or ‘episodes’— featuring an array of other musical guests, though any details on forthcoming collaborations have yet to be announced.
“Momentary Bliss” finds Gorillaz and Slaves crafting a track that builds deftly from a dreamy bed of synths into classic, rambunctious UK punk with undertones of ska. Handling the majority of the vocals on the song, slowthai rides the waves of the jittery, stylistic transitions with utter dexterity— his style perfectly complementing the punk-edged sound. The message of the song is one of aspiration, and it’s really quite simple— we can do so much better and aspire to so much more than just fleeting moments of bliss, not only as individuals but also on a societal scale.
Described by Damon Albarn as “the beginning of a really exciting period in our lives," the “Song Machine” series sees Gorillaz breathe new meaning into creating and delivering music— and “Momentary Bliss” serves as the perfect hors d'oeuvres for what is to come. You can follow along with the series by subscribing to their Youtube Channel.
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