DAMON ALBARN
NEW TRACK
‘Royal Morning Blue’
OUT TODAY
WATCH HERE
PLUS LIMITED EDITION CD
TO INCLUDE NEW PIECE ‘Huldufólk’
THE NEARER THE FOUNTAIN,
MORE PURE THE STREAM FLOWS
New Solo Album Out 12th November 2021
On Transgressive Records
PRE-ORDER HERE
“[Royal Morning Blue]…a standout track on the forthcoming album” – The Guardian
Royal Morning Blue is out today. The latest track from Damon Albarn’s new solo album The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows was written and recorded in Iceland. Directly inspired by the view from Albarn’s position at the piano looking out over the sea, it captures the wonder of rain turning into snow before his eyes. Listen here.
Albarn said – “That’s why the song opens with ‘Rain turning into snow,’ because it’s that moment, that feeling. In all the darkness that we have experienced, that was such a beautiful, positive thing.”
To accompany the song’s release, a new special, cinematic film from a series entitled ‘Sublime Boulevards – Performance Films’ is available today on YouTube. Watch here.
Also announced today, a limited edition CD format which will include a new 20-min piece Huldufólk written by Albarn and Einar Örn Benediktsson (The Sugarcubes). Pre order here.
Following two acclaimed festival shows in Manchester and Edinburgh this summer, as well as special guest appearances at Latitude and End of the Road, Albarn took to the stage for a very special one-off show at The Globe earlier this week, which was broadcast live to fans all over the world. Full tour itinerary below.
The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows is the new studio album from Damon Albarn, out 12th November 2021 on Transgressive Records. Originally intended as an orchestral piece inspired by the landscapes of Iceland, 2020 saw Albarn return to the music in lockdown and develop the work to 11 tracks which further explore themes of fragility, loss, emergence and rebirth. The result is a panoramic collection of songs with Albarn as storyteller. The album title is taken from a John Clare poem Love and Memory.
In a career of perpetual musical shifts and exploration, the record uncovers more ground, finding expansive orchestral arrangements nestling with intimate melodies, discordance brushing up against infectious majesty, all set to some of Albarn’s most arresting vocal performances to date. Much like the beauty and chaos of the natural world it soundtracks, The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows vividly documents the emotional ebb and flow of the human condition, in all its extremes, serving as a soul enriching document for our times.
The tracklisting for The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows is:
- The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows
- The Cormorant
- Royal Morning Blue
- Combustion
- Daft Wader
- Darkness To Light
- Esja
- The Tower Of Montevideo
- Giraffe Trumpet Sea
- Polaris
- Particles
Alongside a digital release, there will be limited edition vinyl formats, plus CD and cassette, with the CD edition including ‘Huldufólk’ a 20-minute “hidden” track of a new and original recording that inspired some of the record’s themes. There will also be a super deluxe version of the album, taking the form of a casebound book with additional photography, original scanned lyrics and artwork from Damon, alongside a white vinyl version of the album, a high quality digital file and a bonus 7” featuring an exclusive song from the recording sessions.
2022 Tour Dates
21 & 22 February – London (Barbican)
23 & 24 February – Dublin (National Concert Hall)
26 February – Luxembourg (Philharmonie)
28 February – Brussels (Bozar)
1 March – Brussels (Bozar)
2 March – Eindhoven (Muziekgebouw)
4 & 5 March – Paris (Philharmonie)
6 March – Lyon (Auditorium)
7 March – Hamburg (ElbPhilharmonie)
9 March – Copenhagen (KB Hallen)
11 March – Reykjavik (Harpa)
Tickets and information here. Pre-order the album here.
Further Information:
Download high res press images HERE
Damon Albarn is a singer, songwriter, producer and composer whose eclectic musical style and observational lyrics have made him one of the UK’s most influential and consistently interesting musicians.
A founder member of Blur, Gorillaz and The Good, The Bad & The Queen, he is the recipient of six Brits, two Ivor Novello Awards and a Grammy Award. Outside of Blur and Gorillaz, Albarn has a number of other releases, including Mali Music (2002), The Good The Bad and The Queen (2006), Monkey: Journey to the West (2007), Kinshasa One Two (2011), Rocket Juice & The Moon (2012), Dr Dee (2012), Africa Express Presents: Maison Des Jeunes (2013), Africa Express Presents: The Orchestra of Syrian Musicians (2016), Merrie Land (2018), Africa Express Presents: Egoli (2019), as well as his Mercury Award-nominated debut solo album Everyday Robots (2014).
