The Ballad of Darren
A photo of a swimming pool with a single swimmer surrounded by several chairs in the middle of a field surrounded by mountains.
Studio album by
Blur
Released21 July 2023 (2023-07-21)
RecordedJanuary–May 2023
StudioStudio 13, London & Devon
Genre
Length36:04
Label
ProducerJames Ford
Blur chronology
The Magic Whip
(2015)		 The Ballad of Darren
(2023)
Damon Albarn chronology
Cracker Island
(2023)		 The Ballad of Darren
(2023)
Singles from The Ballad of Darren
  1. "The Narcissist"
    Released: 18 May 2023
  2. "St. Charles Square"
    Released: 29 June 2023
  3. "Barbaric"
    Released: 21 July 2023

The Ballad of Darren is the ninth studio album by English rock band Blur. It was released on 21 July 2023 by Parlophone and Warner Records. The album's songs were written by frontman Damon Albarn in 2022 while on tour with Gorillaz, and composed by Albarn and the rest of the band. It was produced by James Ford at Studio 13 in London and Devon. It is Blur's first album since The Magic Whip (2015), and their shortest album, with a runtime under 40 minutes. The album's artwork features a 2004 photograph of a man swimming alone in the Gourock Outdoor Pool in Gourock, Scotland, taken by Martin Parr. Its title refers to Darren "Smoggy" Evans, the band's longtime bodyguard.

The Ballad of Darren was released to positive reviews. It became the band's seventh consecutive number one album debut in the UK. It also topped the charts in Belgium, Ireland, Scotland and Switzerland, and became the band's first US Top 10 album on the Top Album Sales chart, reaching #8. The album was promoted by the singles "The Narcissist", "St. Charles Square" and "Barbaric", as well as a global tour.

Background and recording

The band's eighth studio album The Magic Whip was released in April 2015 to critical acclaim and became the band's sixth UK number-one album.[1][2] In April 2017, Damon Albarn's project Gorillaz released their fifth studio album, Humanz which was followed by three other albums, released in June 2018, October 2020, and February 2023 respectively.[3][4][5] Albarn also released his second solo album, The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows in November 2021.[6] Guitarist Graham Coxon worked on soundtracks for the shows The End of the F***ing World and I Am Not Okay with This, while also releasing his debut album with side project the Waeve in February 2023.[7][8] Meanwhile, drummer Dave Rowntree released his debut solo album, Radio Songs, in January 2023.[9]

Albarn wrote demos for the album while touring with Gorillaz, in 2022. He recalled: "I recorded in a lot of conference rooms but I did actually have a wonderful moment in Montreal. Opposite my [hotel] room was this fantastic mural of Leonard Cohen."[10] Some of the songs were demo'd during that time, and by New Year's Eve he had 24 songs. The album's opening track "The Ballad" is a reworked version of "Half a Song", a demo recorded by Albarn in 2003 during Blur's Think Tank tour and previously released on Albarn's 2003 EP Democrazy.[11] In January 2023, Blur began recording material at Albarn's Studio 13 in London and Devon. James Ford, who previously worked with Gorillaz and Coxon's band the Waeve, produced the album. The record was finished by the first week of May 2023.[12][10] Albarn described The Ballad of Darren as "the first legit Blur album since 13, because we approached it like we would have approached making a record before, with all of us together in the room."[13]

Each member of the band shared a brief commentary on the record.[14] To Albarn, the record signifies "an aftershock, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now". Coxon added that, with age, it becomes more important "that what we play is loaded with the right emotion and intention".[15] Albarn claimed the album reflects their generation but also "has enough of the modern world in it to kind of be relatable to people younger as well."[16]

Composition

Musical style and influences

The Ballad of Darren, an alternative rock[17] and indie rock[17] album, has been described as containing elements of baroque pop,[18][19][20] lounge pop[21][22] and 1970s' alternative pop.[23] The album has been compared to the works of Lou Reed, John Cale,[23] Radiohead's A Moon Shaped Pool and Blur's own Think Tank.[24] Albarn noted that on this album, his way of singing was influenced by Alex Turner.[25]

Artwork and title

The album's cover is a 2004 photograph of a man swimming alone in the Gourock Outdoor Pool in Gourock, Scotland, taken by Martin Parr.[26] Rowntree said of the cover: "There’s quite a bit about that image which is about overcoming some sort of physical situation. There is something about the safety of this lido which can get worryingly rough, which it does, and there are stories of this place where this guy would go down and exercise and there would be sharks washed in by the sea."[10]

The album's title references Darren "Smoggy" Evans, the band's former bodyguard, who currently works for frontman Damon Albarn. Albarn said: "Darren is many people. It is directly one person. [...] There’s a picture of Darren in the album. Not on the front cover. It was going to be but then we put it on the inner sleeve because it’s not the sort of attention Darren will want."[16][12][27][10]

Release and promotion

In June 2021, frontman Damon Albarn first hinted at new music from Blur and Gorillaz, ahead of his second solo studio release The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows. At the time, he was in talks with drummer Dave Rowntree but plans had not come to fruition yet.[28] On 14 November 2022, bassist Alex James spoke on the possibility of new music from the band in nearly eight years.[29] The band announced a London reunion show at Wembley Stadium in summer 2023.[30] The album was announced on 18 May 2023, alongside a short video directed by Toby L. The video shows the band in the studio with a snippet of "The Narcissist" playing in the background.[31][26]

Singles and videos

The album's lead single, "The Narcissist," premiered on Steve Lamacq's BBC Radio 6 Music show, on 18 May 2023.[12] That same day, an animated lyric video directed by Fons Schiedon, was released on the band's YouTube channel.[32]

Tour

On 27 April 2023, Blur announced tour dates in the UK, Europe, Japan and South America. Starting on 19 May, the shows mark the first time the band has toured since 2015 and their first live appearance in four years.[33]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.9/10[34]
Metacritic84/100[35]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[21]
Clash9/10[36]
The Guardian[37]
i[22]
The Independent[38]
Mojo[39]
NME[40]
Pitchfork7.2/10[41]
Rolling Stone UK[42]
Under the Radar9/10[43]

The Ballad of Darren received critical acclaim and a score of 84 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on 24 critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[35] Uncut felt that "better than simply a personal or a confessional album, The Ballad of Darren is clever in what it does and doesn't say about its creator's life", while Amanda Farah of The Quietus found the album to have "a gentler approach", describing it as "an almost-pop record with strong choruses but more ambling verses" and "a statement of where Blur are now".[23]

Emma Harrison of Metro in her review said of the album that it was 'Emotive, visceral and full of intent, Darren takes us on a soul searching journey which is a testimonial of how overcoming loss might just help you find yourself, your sound and your friends via the power of music.' and that it was blur's 'most arrestingly intimate work since the likes of 13'.[44]

Joe Goggins of The Skinny remarked that Blur "shake off" their "latter-day heaviness" on "a handsome set that sounds like four mates having fun again".[45] Reviewing the album for Clash, Gareth James stated that the "desire to reflect on those most important to the band is immediately evident", describing opening track "The Ballad" as "gorgeous" and "Barbaric" as "one of their very best" and concluding that the album ends with "no neat resolutions" on "The Heights".[36] Jazz Monroe of Pitchfork described the album as "meticulously polished", writing that its "songs conjure something more real than anguish: the dulling of losses, the warm aura of midlife decline, and the fading belief, with advancing years, that crisis serves to raise the curtain on your next act".[41]

Accolades

Mojo ranked The Ballad of Darren first on its list of the best albums of 2023.[46] NME ranked the album at number 10 on their list of the 50 best albums of 2023, noting that it "would prove their best album since the ‘90s, a reckoning of lost relationships and middle-aged malaise".[47] Additionally, The Guardian,[48] The Telegraph,[49] the BBC,[50] Yahoo, Uncut magazine, Reader's Digest, The Independent,[51] Rolling Stone, and NPR listeners' poll all had the album in their best-of-2023 lists.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree.

The Ballad of Darren track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The Ballad"3:37
2."St. Charles Square"3:55
3."Barbaric"4:09
4."Russian Strings"3:38
5."The Everglades (For Leonard)"2:56
6."The Narcissist"4:05
7."Goodbye Albert"4:17
8."Far Away Island"2:58
9."Avalon"3:05
10."The Heights"3:24
Total length:36:04
Deluxe CD bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."The Rabbi"2:44
12."The Swan"3:42
Total length:42:30
Japanese bonus track[52]
No.TitleLength
13."Sticks and Stones"3:24

Personnel

Blur

Additional musicians

  • James Ford – keyboards (tracks 1–6, 8, 10)
  • Izzi Dunn – cello (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10)
  • Ciara Ismail – viola (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10)
  • Kotono Sato – violin (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10)
  • Sarah Tuke – violin (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10)
  • Alistair White – trombone (9)
  • Nichol Thompson – trombone (9)
  • Chris Storr – trumpet (9)
  • Danny Marsden – trumpet (9)

Technical

  • James Ford – production
  • Samuel Egglenton – additional production, engineering
  • Matt Colton – mastering
  • David Wrench – mixing
  • Mat Bartram – strings engineering (1, 5, 7, 8, 10), brass engineering (9)
  • Grace Banks – mixing assistance (1, 2, 4–10)
  • Giacomo Vianello – engineering assistance (1–3, 5–10)
  • Luke Pickering – engineering assistance (1, 3, 8–10)

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for The Ballad of Darren
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[81] Silver 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ "Reviews for The Magic Whip by Blur". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  2. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  3. ↑ "Gorillaz To Release New Album In 2018". Radio X. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  4. ↑ Condon, Dan; Shiel, Tim (27 October 2020). "Damon Albarn talks us through Gorillaz's star-studded Song Machine". Double J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  5. ↑ AllEyezOnGorillaz (31 August 2022). Gorillaz Interview 2022 - New Album Announcement - BBC Radio 1 (video). Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022 – via YouTube.
  6. ↑ Blistein, Jon (22 June 2021). "Damon Albarn Teases New Solo LP With 'The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  7. ↑ Trendell, Andrew (20 April 2022). "Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall team up to form The WAEVE". NME. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  8. ↑ Moore, Sam (17 January 2018). "Graham Coxon to release his original soundtrack for 'The End of the F***ing World'". NME. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  9. ↑ "Dave Rowntree - Radio Songs Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Jones, Damian (20 May 2023). "Blur on recording their new album 'The Ballad Of Darren': "There were moments of utter joy"". NME. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  11. ↑ "Dive into our track-by-track of Blur's brand newie, 'The Ballad of Darren'".
  12. 1 2 3 Lamacq, Steve (18 May 2023). "Blur join Steve Lamacq live with the world premiere of brand new music". BBC Radio 6 Music. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  13. ↑ Gunn, Charlotte (12 July 2023). "How a Changing World Brought Damon Albarn Back to Blur". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  14. ↑ Minsker, Evan (18 May 2023). "Blur Announce New Album The Ballad of Darren, Share New Song "The Narcissist": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  15. ↑ Cohen, Jonathan (18 May 2023). "Blur Announces Surprise New Album Led By Single 'The Narcissist'". Spin. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  16. 1 2 O'Connell, Dan (18 May 2023). "Blur announce new album The Ballad of Darren and new single The Narcissist". Radio X. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  17. 1 2 "Blur - the Ballad of Darren Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  18. ↑ "The Ballad of Darren is one of Blur's best records". 21 July 2023.
  19. ↑ "Blur: The Ballad of Darren". Pitchfork.
  20. ↑ "Blur - the Ballad of Darren Review".
  21. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (21 July 2023). "Blur – The Ballad of Darren Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  22. 1 2 Solomon, Kate (20 July 2023). "Blur, The Ballad of Darren, review: These four middle-aged men have a kind of magic between them". i. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  23. 1 2 3 Farah, Amanda (17 July 2023). "Blur: The Ballad of Darren". The Quietus. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  24. ↑ Golsen, Tyler (20 July 2023). "'The Ballad of Darren' album review: Blur find moments of beauty on a downer record". Far Out. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  25. ↑ Rehm Rozanes, Stephan (July 2023). "Blur: "If the A.I.s are the future of music, then we're gonna need better drugs"". Musikexpress (in German). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  26. 1 2 Trendell, Andrew (18 May 2023). "Blur announce new album 'The Ballad Of Darren' with single 'The Narcissist'". NME. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  27. ↑ Whiley, Jo (18 May 2023). "Blur join Jo Whiley". BBC Sounds. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  28. ↑ Blake, Logan (29 June 2021). "Damon Albarn Hints At New Music From Both Blur And Gorillaz". Spin. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  29. ↑ Wilkes, Emma (14 November 2022). "Blur's Alex James on possibility of new music: "I never know what's going to happen"". NME. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  30. ↑ Renshaw, David (14 November 2022). "Blur announce 2023 London reunion show". The Fader. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  31. ↑ L, Toby (Director) (18 May 2023). Blur - The Ballad Of Darren (Announcement) (Trailer). Blur. Retrieved 20 May 2023 – via YouTube.
  32. ↑ Schiedon, Fons (Director) (18 May 2023). Blur – The Narcissist (Official Visualiser) (Music Video). Blur. Retrieved 20 May 2023 – via YouTube.
  33. ↑ Young, Alex (27 April 2023). "Blur Confirm First Tour in Eight Years". Consequence. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  34. ↑ "The Ballad of Darren by Blur reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  35. 1 2 "The Ballad of Darren by Blur Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  36. 1 2 James, Gareth (14 July 2023). "Blur – The Ballad of Darren". Clash. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  37. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (20 July 2023). "Blur: The Ballad of Darren review – middle-age regrets voiced in gorgeous tunes". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  38. ↑ Brown, Helen (20 July 2023). "Blur review, The Ballad of Darren: The band's best record since 1999". The Independent. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  39. ↑ >Segal, Victoria (19 July 2023). "Blur The Ballad Of Darren Review: Britpop's golden boys hit that difficult age". Mojo. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  40. ↑ Smith, Thomas (19 July 2023). "Blur – 'The Ballad of Darren' review: their brilliance continues". NME. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  41. 1 2 Monroe, Jazz (20 July 2023). "Blur: The Ballad of Darren Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  42. ↑ Reilly, Nick (19 July 2023). "Blur, 'The Ballad Of Darren' review: a masterful comeback from Britpop icons". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  43. ↑ Hall, Michael James (20 July 2023). "Blur: The Ballad of Darren (Parlophone) - review". Under the Radar. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  44. ↑ Harrison, Emma (21 July 2023). "The Ballad of Darren review: Blur's first album in nearly a decade is experimental yet intimate surprise". Metro. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  45. ↑ Goggins, Joe (17 July 2023). "Blur – The Ballad of Darren review". The Skinny. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  46. ↑ "Mojo's Top 75 Albums of 2023". BrooklynVegan. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
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  50. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67822639
  51. ↑ https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/best-albums-2023-ranked-b2462716.html
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