On 29 June 2021, Damon Albarn revealed in an interview with
NME that Gorillaz was working on new "carnival-themed music", saying that their upcoming record would return to the band's roots. On 10 August 2021,
Gorillaz debuted three new songs, "Meanwhile" (featuring British rapper Jelani Blackman), "Jimmy Jimmy" (featuring British rapper
AJ Tracey), and "Déjà Vu" (featuring Jamaican singer Alicaì Harley), during a free concert at
The O2 Arena in London, England exclusively for
National Health Service employees and their families. They then performed them again at the subsequent concert open to the public the next day (both of which served as the first live audience concerts of the
Song Machine Tour). ==Track listing==