Gorillaz soundtrack the party at the end of the world

Seven years after their previous outing, The Fall, along struts the fifth album from Gorillaz, the mega-selling virtual band created by comic-book artist Jamie Hewlett and musical chameleon Damon Albarn. And it’s the perfect soundtrack to the coming apocalypse. Created with “the party for the end of the world” in mind, Humanz is political and abrasive; Albarn doesn’t make obvious references to the tangerine Twitter pest but the darkness at the heart of America hangs heavily over a vibe of disconnection. Previous Gorillaz albums have revelled in mix ’n’ match collaborations, and the humanz assembled for this 20-track set don’t disappoint. Benefitting from the vocal talents of De La Soul, Mavis Staples, D.R.A.M, Pusha T, Savages’ Jehnny Beth and Rag’n’Bone Man, to name but a few, there are plenty of highlights, as the album shifts genres and tempos with ease. The industrial Charger – featuring the inimitable Grace Jones – is almost an equal to their previous best effort, Clint Eastwood.