To mark the release of new album The Mountain on the band’s own new label KONG, Gorillaz has shared a new eight-minute short film titled The Mountain, The Moon Cave & The Sad God. Directed by Jamie Hewlett and THE LINE studio, the animated epic follows the adventures of band members Noodle, Murdoc, 2D and Russel as they journey across India, and explores album themes from the journey of life to the thrill of existence.
The film sees artist and Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett return to the purest form of his art to bring a detailed and beautiful intricacy to his distinctive, yet ever-evolving style. Directed by Jamie, along with Max Taylor and Tim McCourt of BAFTA-nominated London-based animation studio THE LINE, the film was made across 18 months and thousands of artist hours, a hand-crafted homage to the golden era of 2D animation reimagining the world of Gorillaz through a classic cinematic lens.
Jamie collaborated with THE LINE on a vision to reinterpret Gorillaz through the visual language and timeless aesthetic of 1960s animated features. The result is a richly textured short film that honours the animators who paved the way for today’s studios. The process was steered by a determination to honour traditional craftsmanship with a hybrid analogue-digital workflow favouring hand-painted backgrounds, real materials, practical effects and period-accurate limitations over contemporary shortcuts.
Circumstances now find Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs, 2D and Noodle in India, having made their way to Mumbai with the help of four fake passports, courtesy of a New York business acquaintance of Murdoc. The band has turned its back on international pop stardom, with our heroes now immersed in the rhythms of mystical music-making, as they navigate the mountainous terrain of this thing called life.
The Mountain is Gorillaz’ ninth studio album, an expansive sonic landscape of instruments and sounds, richly layered with voices, melodies and addictive beats, spanning a collection of 15 songs that embody the very essence of Gorillaz’ collaborative ethos.
The record features an extraordinary list of artistes and collaborators including: Ajay Prasanna, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, Anoushka Shankar, Asha Bhosle, Asha Puthli, Bizarrap, Black Thought, Gruff Rhys, IDLES, Jalen Ngonda, Johnny Marr, Kara Jackson, Omar Souleyman, Paul Simonon, Sparks, Trueno and Yasiin Bey; as well as the voices of friends and collaborators who have gone before us, including Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Dennis Hopper, Mark E Smith, Proof and Tony Allen.
The Mountain is a playlist for a party on the border between this world and whatever happens next, exploring the journey of life and the thrill of existence.
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