Humanz is the fifth studio album by English virtual band Gorillaz. It was released on 28 April 2017 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and in the United States by Warner Bros. Records. Produced by the band, The Twilite Tone, and Remi Kabaka Jr., it was Gorillaz' first studio album in seven years, after The Fall (2010).
Nine singles were released from the album: Saturnz Barz, We Got The Power, Ascension, Andromeda, Let Me Out, The Apprentice, Strobelite, Garage Palace and Andromeda (D.R.A.M. Special).
Background[]
The album was announced on the band's official Instagram page on 23 March 2017. According to a press release, the album was recorded in London, Paris, New York, Chicago, and Jamaica. The album features many interludes, most of them being narrated by Ben Mendelsohn. Humanz featured the most collaborators on a Gorillaz album by far, with many additional contributors, like Jean-Michel Jarre, Noel Gallagher and Graham Coxon, being left uncredited in the song titles.
Track Listing[]
The full track list was leaked on 21 March, with an official listing released on 23 March. The Standard edition of the album consists of twenty tracks, five of which are interlude tracks, with the Deluxe edition containing an extra six tracks, which includes a sixth interlude.
Standard Edition[]
CD, Vinyl & Streaming | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
1. | 'Intro: I Switched My Robot Off' | 0:24 | ||||||||
2. | 'Ascension' (feat. Vince Staples) | 2:35 | ||||||||
3. | 'Strobelite' (feat. Peven Everett) | 4:32 | ||||||||
4. | 'Saturnz Barz' (feat. Popcaan) | 3:01 | ||||||||
5. | 'Momentz' (feat. De La Soul) | 3:16 | ||||||||
6. | 'Interlude: The Non-Conformist Oath' | 0:21 | ||||||||
7. | 'Submission' (feat. Danny Brown & Kelela) | 3:21 | ||||||||
8. | 'Charger' (feat. Grace Jones) | 3:34 | ||||||||
9. | 'Interlude: Elevator Going Up' | 0:04 | ||||||||
10. | 'Andromeda' (feat. DRAM) | 3:17 | ||||||||
11. | 'Busted And Blue' | 4:37 | ||||||||
12. | 'Interlude: Talk Radio' | 0:19 | ||||||||
13. | 'Carnival' (feat. Anthony Hamilton) | 2:15 | ||||||||
14. | 'Let Me Out' (feat. Mavis Staples & Pusha T) | 2:55 | ||||||||
15. | 'Interlude: Penthouse' | 0:11 | ||||||||
16. | 'Sex Murder Party' (feat. Jamie Principle & Zebra Katz) | 4:19 | ||||||||
17. | 'She's My Collar' (feat. Kali Uchis) | 3:29 | ||||||||
18. | 'Interlude: The Elephant' | 0:11 | ||||||||
19. | 'Hallelujah Money' (feat. Benjamin Clementine) | 4:23 | ||||||||
20. | 'We Got The Power' (feat. Jehnny Beth) | 2:19 | ||||||||
Total length: |
49:23 |
Deluxe Edition Bonus Disc | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
1. | 'Interlude: New World' | 1:22 | ||||||||
2. | 'The Apprentice' (feat. RagānāBone Man, Zebra Katz & Ray BLK) | 3:56 | ||||||||
3. | 'Halfway To The Halfway House' (feat. Peven Everett) | 3:57 | ||||||||
4. | 'Out Of Body' (feat. Kilo Kish, Zebra Katz & Imani VonshĆ ) | 3:45 | ||||||||
5. | 'Ticker Tape' (feat. Carly Simon & Kali Uchis) | 4:28 | ||||||||
6. | 'Circle Of Friendz' (feat. Brandon Markell Holmes) | 2:08 | ||||||||
Total length: |
19:36 |
Japanese Deluxe Edition bonus tracks | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
21. | 'Andromeda (D.R.A.M. Special)' (feat. DRAM) | 4:00 | ||||||||
22. | 'Busted And Blue (Faia Younan Special)' (feat. Faia Younan) | 3:40 | ||||||||
Total length: |
56:53 |
Super Deluxe[]
Super Deluxe Edition | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
1. | 'Intro: I Switched My Robot Off' | 0:24 | ||||||||
2. | 'Ascension' (feat. Vince Staples) | 2:35 | ||||||||
3. | 'Long Beach' | 3:23 | ||||||||
4. | 'Strobelite' (feat. Peven Everett) | 4:32 | ||||||||
5. | 'Colombians' | 3:57 | ||||||||
6. | 'Saturnz Barz' (feat. Popcaan) | 3:01 | ||||||||
7. | 'Duetz' | 2:43 | ||||||||
8. | 'Momentz' (feat. De La Soul) | 3:16 | ||||||||
9. | 'Midnite Float' (feat. Azekel) | 3:57 | ||||||||
10. | 'Interlude: The Non-Conformist Oath' | 0:21 | ||||||||
11. | 'Submission' (feat. Danny Brown and Kelela) | 3:21 | ||||||||
12. | 'Grilling With His Face' | 2:15 | ||||||||
13. | 'Charger' (feat. Grace Jones) | 3:34 | ||||||||
14. | 'Charger (Alternate Version)' (feat. Pauline Black) | 2:57 | ||||||||
15. | 'Interlude: Elevator Going Up' | 0:04 | ||||||||
16. | 'Andromeda' (feat. DRAM) | 3:17 | ||||||||
17. | 'Andromeda (D.R.A.M. Special)' (feat. DRAM) | 4:00 | ||||||||
18. | 'Busted And Blue' | 4:37 | ||||||||
19. | 'Busted And Blue (Faia Younan Special)' (feat. Faia Younan) | 3:40 | ||||||||
20. | 'Interlude: Talk Radio' | 0:19 | ||||||||
21. | 'Carnival' (feat. Anthony Hamilton) | 2:15 | ||||||||
22. | 'Carnival (2D Special)' (feat. Anthony Hamilton) | 3:49 | ||||||||
23. | 'Let Me Out' (feat. Mavis Staples and Pusha T) | 2:55 | ||||||||
24. | 'Five Whales In A Dream' | 2:37 | ||||||||
25. | 'Interlude: Penthouse' | 0:11 | ||||||||
26. | 'Sex Murder Party' (feat. Jamie Principle and Zebra Katz) | 4:19 | ||||||||
27. | 'Garage Palace' (feat. Little Simz) | 2:30 | ||||||||
28. | 'She's My Collar' (feat. Kali Uchis) | 3:29 | ||||||||
29. | 'She's My Collar (Kali Uchis Spanish Special)' (feat. Kali Uchis) | 2:50 | ||||||||
30. | 'Interlude: The Elephant' | 0:11 | ||||||||
31. | 'Hallelujah Money' (feat. Benjamin Clementine) | 4:23 | ||||||||
32. | 'Phoenix On The Hill' (feat. Sidiki DiabatƩ) | 3:22 | ||||||||
33. | 'We Got the Power' (feat. Jehnny Beth) | 2:19 | ||||||||
34. | 'Tranzformer' | 2:40 | ||||||||
Total length: |
94:03 |
Personnel[]
Gorillaz[]
- Murdoc Niccals - bass guitar
- Stuart Pot - vocals
- Russel Hobbs - drums
- Noodle - guitar, additional vocals
Musicians[]
- Damon Albarn - vocals, synthesizers, drums, keyboards, programming, guitar
- Remi Kabaka Jr. - drum programming, percussion (all tracks), drums ("Garage Palace")
- Ben Mendelsohn - narration ("Intro: I Switched My Robot Off", "Momentz", "Interlude: The Non-Conformist Oath", "Interlude: Elevator Going Up", "Interlude: Talk Radio", "Interlude: Penthouse", "Interlude: The Elephant", "Interlude: New World")
- Vince Staples - vocals ("Ascension")
- The Humanz - choir ("Ascension", "Strobelite", "Saturnz Barz", "Momentz", "Submission", "Let Me Out", "Hallelujah Money", "Halfway to the Halfway House", "Out of Body", "Circle of Friendz")
- Rasul A-Salaam
- Starr Busby
- Melanie J-B Charles
- Drea D'Nur
- Giovanni James
- Marcus Anthony Johnson
- Janelle Kroll
- Imani VonzhĆ - vocals ("Out of Body")
- Brandon Markell Holmes - additional vocals ("Circle of Friendz")
- Peven Everett - vocals, additional keyboards ("Strobelite", "Halfway to the Halfway House")
- Popcaan - vocals ("Saturnz Barz")
- De La Soul - vocals ("Momentz")
- Azekel - additional vocals ("Momentz", "Midnite Float", "Submission")
- Jean-Michel Jarre - synthesizers ("Momentz", "Midnite Float", "We Got the Power", "Halfway to the Halfway House")
- The Twilite Tone - drums ("Midnite Float", "Charger (Alternate Version)", "Andromeda (D.R.A.M. Special)", "Carnival (2D Special)", "Five Whales in a Dream", "She's My Collar (Kali Uchis Spanish Special)"), synthesizers ("Midnite Float", "Charger (Alternate Version)"), bass ("Midnite Float", "Andromeda" (D.R.A.M. Special)", "Carnival" (2-D Special)", "Five Whales in a Dream"), drum programming ("Charger (Alternate Version)")
- Kelela - vocals ("Submission"), additional vocals ("Busted and Blue")
- Danny Brown - vocals ("Submission")
- Graham Coxon - guitars ("Submission")
- Grace Jones - vocals ("Charger")
- Pauline Black - vocals ("Charger (Alternate Version)")
- DRAM - vocals ("Andromeda", "Andromeda (D.R.A.M. Special)"), additional vocals ("We Got the Power")
- Roses Gabor - additional vocals ("Andromeda", "Andromeda (D.R.A.M. Special)")
- Cheick Tidiane-Seck - additional synthesizers ("Andromeda (D.R.A.M. Special)", "Ticker Tape")
- Faia Younan - vocals ("Busted and Blue (Faia Younan Special)")
- Anthony Hamilton - vocals ("Carnival", "Carnival (2-D Special)")
- Mavis Staples - vocals ("Let Me Out")
- Pusha T - vocals ("Let Me Out")
- Jamie Principle - vocals ("Sex Murder Party")
- Zebra Katz - vocals ("Sex Murder Party", "The Apprentice", "Out of Body")
- Little Simz - vocals ("Garage Palace")
- Kali Uchis - vocals ("She's My Collar", "She's My Collar (Kali Uchis Spanish Special)", "Ticker Tape")
- Benjamin Clementine - vocals ("Hallelujah Money")
- Sidiki DiabatƩ - vocals, kora ("Phoenix on the Hill")
- Jehnny Beth - vocals ("We Got the Power")
- Noel Gallagher - additional vocals ("We Got the Power")
- Rag'n'Bone Man - vocals ("The Apprentice")
- Ray BLK - vocals ("The Apprentice")
- Kilo Kish - vocals ("Out of Body")
- Carly Simon - vocals ("Ticker Tape")
Technical[]
- Damon Albarn - production
- Remi Kabaka Jr. - production
- The Twilite Tone - production
- Stephen Sedgwick - mixing, engineering
- John Davis - mastering
- Samuel Egglenton - assistance ("Ascension", "Strobelite", "Saturnz Barz", "Momentz", "Submission", "Andromeda", "Busted and Blue", "Carnival", "Let Me Out", "Sex Murder Party", "She's My Collar", "Hallelujah Money", "We Got the Power"), additional engineering ("Charger")
- Fraser T. Smith - production consulting (all tracks), additional production ("The Apprentice")
- Michael Law Thomas - additional engineering ("Ascension", "Out of Body")
- KT Pipal - assistance ("Ascension", "Strobelite", "Saturnz Barz", "Momentz", "Submission", "She's My Collar", "Hallelujah Money", "The Apprentice", "Halfway to the Halfway House", "Out of Body", "Ticker Tape", "Circle of Friendz")
- Casey Cuyao - assistance ("Ascension")
- John Foyle - engineering ("Long Beach")
- Morgan Garcia - additional engineering ("Momentz")
- J.U.S. - additional engineering ("Submission")
- Paul Bailey - additional engineering ("Let Me Out")
- Alex Baez - assistance ("Let Me Out")
- Jonathan Lackey - assistance ("Let Me Out")
- Manon Grandjean - assistance ("The Apprentice")
Artwork[]
- Jamie Hewlett - artwork, design
- LuckyMe Studios - assistance art
Sample credits[]
"Intro: I Switched My Robot Off" contains a sample of Space Shuttle Discovery during launch sequence.
"Saturnz Barz" contains an uncredited sample of the instructional voice-over of Interactive Planetarium by Scientific Toys Limited.
"Interlude: The Non-Conformist Oath" contains a sample of "A Wild and Crazy Guy" as written and performed by Steve Martin, from his album A Wild and Crazy Guy.
"Submission" contains a sample of "Your Love" as written by Jose Gomez, Francis Nicholls, Jamie Principle and Mark Trollan and performed by Jamie Principle featuring Adrienne Jett.
"Carnival (2-D Special)" contains a sample of "Breathless" as written by Blaxx and Roy Cape.
Reception[]
Upon its release, Humanz peaked at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200, but received generally mixed reviews from critics. Over 140,000 copies of the album were sold in its first week after release.
Gallery[]
The full image gallery for Humanz may be viewed at Humanz/Gallery. |
References[]