Gorillaz, a virtual band curated by Damon Albarn, have released the second single off its forthcoming eighth studio album, Cracker Island, releasing Feb. 24.

The first single of the same name released on July 28 featuring bassist Thundercat. The second single, “New Gold,” features Kevin Parker, better known as Tame Impala, as well as Bootie Brown, a founding member of The Pharcyde. Bootie Brown previously featured on the hit “Dirty Harry” off of Gorillaz’ Demon Days album.

Gorillaz fans have been demanding a collaboration with Tame Impala since the first singles of its collaboration heavy album Song Machine, Vol. 1 released.  Fans became even more riled up when the fictional character from the band Noodle, @watashiwanoodle on Instagram, posted fan art combining Tame Impala’s and Gorillaz’s album artwork together in January 2020. 

Immersing listeners in wavering synths, “New Gold”  begins with the chorus from Tame Impala. Parker’s chorus is catchy and arguably the best part of the song, but with little variation , the song begins to feel repetitive.

“But in the magic gold, there’s a pretty one / I ask her where it goes ’cause I really wanna / I wonder if she knows that we’re underwater / That’s the way it goes in the city wonder”

Following a heavy bassline is Bootie Brown’s verse, with commentary on escaping our world’s corruption: drugs, social media and living only to trend on Twitter. While the lyrics are thoughtful, the flow feels awkward, especially compared to Bootie Brown’s work on “Dirty Harry.”  The song begins to lose momentum, neither pairing  well to keep the groove alive.

Yet the song bounces back to another high with 2-D’s (Albarn) verse, singing in his typical melancholy manner alongside Parker’s dreamlike melodies. 

“New gold, fool’s gold / Everything will disappear (new gold) / Someone’s out here / Who traveled far too many years (new gold) / To nowhere, nowhere (new gold, new gold) / Nothing here is ever real (new gold) / New gold, fool’s gold (new gold) / Everything will disappear, disappear…”

While “New Gold” is nowhere near bad, it is admittedly held back by Bootie Brown’s verses : an unfortunate outcome, considering  Bootie Brown’s  impressive track record. In the aftermath of years of hype and the potential of such a fantastic lineup, “New Gold” leaves much to be desired.

Even so,  Cracker Island releases in a few months’ time, and the tracklist of the album contains features from Adeleye Omotayo, Bad Bunny, returning collaborator Beck and even Stevie Nicks. I’m hoping for another great record from Gorillaz. 

Follow Josh Campbell (@JoshDC004) and @CHSCampusNews on Twitter.