The Ballad of Darren

The band's eighth studio album The Magic Whip was released in April 2015 to critical acclaim and became the band's sixth UK number-one album. In April 2017, Damon Albarn's project Gorillaz released their fifth studio album, Humanz which was followed by three other albums, released in June 2018, October 2020, and February 2023 respectively. Albarn also released his second solo album, The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows in November 2021. Guitarist Graham Coxon worked on soundtracks for the shows The End of the F***ing World and I Am Not Okay with This, while also releasing his debut album with side project the Waeve in February 2023. Meanwhile, drummer Dave Rowntree released his debut solo album, Radio Songs, in January 2023. Albarn wrote demos for the album while touring with Gorillaz, in 2022. He recalled: "I recorded in a lot of conference rooms but I did actually have a wonderful moment in Montreal. Opposite my [hotel] room was this fantastic mural of Leonard Cohen." Some of the songs were demo'd during that time, and by New Year's Eve he had 24 songs. The album's opening track "The Ballad" is a reworked version of "Half a Song", a demo recorded by Albarn in 2003 during Blur's Think Tank tour and previously released on Albarn's 2003 EP Democrazy. In January 2023, Blur began recording material at Albarn's Studio 13 in London and Devon. James Ford, who previously worked with Gorillaz and Coxon's band the Waeve, produced the album. The record was finished by the first week of May 2023. Each member of the band shared a brief commentary on the record. To Albarn, the record signifies "an aftershock, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now". Coxon added that, with age, it becomes more important "that what we play is loaded with the right emotion and intention". Albarn claimed the album reflects their generation but also "has enough of the modern world in it to kind of be relatable to people younger as well." ==Composition==

Musical style and influences The Ballad of Darren, an alternative rock and indie rock lounge pop and 1970s' alternative pop. The album has been compared to the works of Lou Reed, John Cale, Albarn noted that on this album, his way of singing was influenced by Alex Turner. ==Artwork and title==

The album's cover is a 2004 photograph of a man swimming alone in the Gourock Outdoor Pool in Gourock, Scotland, taken by Martin Parr. ==Release and promotion==

In June 2021, frontman Damon Albarn first hinted at new music from Blur and Gorillaz, ahead of his second solo studio release The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows. At the time, he was in talks with drummer Dave Rowntree but plans had not come to fruition yet. On 14 November 2022, bassist Alex James spoke on the possibility of new music from the band in nearly eight years. The band announced a London reunion show at Wembley Stadium in summer 2023. The album was announced on 18 May 2023, alongside a short video directed by Toby L. The video shows the band in the studio with a snippet of "The Narcissist" playing in the background. Singles and videos The album's lead single, "The Narcissist," premiered on Steve Lamacq's BBC Radio 6 Music show, on 18 May 2023. Tour On 27 April 2023, Blur announced tour dates in the UK, Europe, Japan and South America. Starting on 19 May, the shows marked the first time the band had toured since 2015 and their first live appearance in four years. ==Critical reception==

The Ballad of Darren received critical acclaim and a score of 84 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on 24 critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Joe Goggins of The Skinny remarked that Blur "shake off" their "latter-day heaviness" on "a handsome set that sounds like four mates having fun again". Reviewing the album for Clash, Gareth James stated that the "desire to reflect on those most important to the band is immediately evident", describing opening track "The Ballad" as "gorgeous" and "Barbaric" as "one of their very best" and concluding that the album ends with "no neat resolutions" on "The Heights". NME ranked the album at number 10 on their list of the 50 best albums of 2023, noting that it "would prove their best album since the '90s, a reckoning of lost relationships and middle-aged malaise". Additionally, The Guardian, The Telegraph, the BBC, Yahoo, Uncut magazine, ''Reader's Digest, The Independent, Rolling Stone'', and NPR listeners' poll all had the album in their best-of-2023 lists. ==Track listing==

Blur • Damon Albarn – vocals, backing vocals, piano, keyboards • Graham Coxon – guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Sticks and Stones" • Alex James – bass guitar • Dave Rowntree – drums Additional musicians • James Ford – keyboards • The Demon Strings on (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10) • Izzi Dunn – cello • Kotono Sato – violin • Sarah Tuke – violin • Ciara Ismail – viola • Chris Storr – trumpet (9) • Danny Marsden – trumpet (9) • Alistair White – trombone (9) • Nichol Thompson – trombone (9) • Mike Smith – brass arrangement (9) Technical • James Ford – production • Samuel Egglenton – additional production, engineering • David Wrench – mixing • Grace Banks – mixing assistance • Giacomo Vianello – engineering assistance • Mat Bartram – strings engineering (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10), brass engineering (9) • Luke Pickering – string engineering assistance (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10) • Matt Colton – mastering • Matt De Jong – creative direction, design • Jamie-James Medina – creative direction, design • Martin Parr – cover photography • Mike Smith – inside photography • Darren Evans – inside photography • Fons Schiedon – illustrations ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==