A sprawling, high-energy party at the end of the world. Dense electronic production meets a massive cast of guests for a restless, urban-focused pop odyssey.
It's a high-speed chase through a digital apocalypse with twenty of the coolest people on earth.
A restless, high-energy dance party fueled by digital anxiety and social urgency.
Released in 2017 after a seven-year hiatus, Humanz represents a significant shift for Gorillaz toward a guest-heavy, electronic-centric sound. While previous albums like Plastic Beach utilized guests as textures within Damon Albarn's vision, Humanz often places the collaborators at the absolute forefront, with Albarn's 2D persona frequently receding into the background. The album was famously conceived around the prompt of 'an emotional response to an unexpected world event,' resulting in a record that feels deeply rooted in the political and social anxieties of the mid-2010s. Produced by The Twilite Tone and Remi Kabaka, the sonic palette is dominated by house, dancehall, and trap influences, marking a departure from the trip-hop and alternative rock foundations of their early work. Critics often noted the album's sprawling nature and its ambitious attempt to capture a globalized, digital-first perspective, making it one of the most polarizing yet culturally resonant entries in their discography.
Put this on for
neon city lights blurring past a taxi windowpre-party adrenaline mixed with existential dread3am doomscrolling while the world feels fragilepacing a small apartment during a thunderstormempty dancefloor at the end of the nightsubway commute through a decaying urban centerstaring at a flickering television in the dark
Moments worth waiting for
The jarring transition from the robotic intro into the explosive, gospel-tinged rap energy of Ascension.
The haunting, isolated synth pads on Busted and Blue that provide the album's only moment of true stillness.
The way the bassline on Saturnz Barz feels like it's physically vibrating the floor beneath a heavy autotune vocal.
Sounds like
2017s production with a 2010s soul
Sits beside
Atrocity Exhibition - Danny Brown, Big Fish Theory - Vince Staples, Masseduction - St. Vincent, 99.9% - KAYTRANADA
Lyrical territory
social_commentary, existential, political
03Deviation
Humanz · vs · Gorillaz
Artist
This Album
High Energy
Energy · ↑ +16% more than usual
On this album, high energy sits about 16% more prominent than across the rest of the artist's catalogue.
