Gorillaz – The God of Lying ft. IDLES
Gorillaz drop “The God of Lying” featuring IDLES frontman Joe Talbot, the third single from their ninth album “The Mountain”, out March 20th, 2026. Damon Albarn wrote the track with Talbot, recording sessions across London, Devon, and Mumbai with bansuri player Ajay Prasanna and percussionist Viraj Acharya.
Talbot delivers his vocal in a dub-style approach, asking questions about housing, headlines, and what’s bubbling beneath the surface. The production builds gradually around flickering synths, pulsating bass, and warm percussion layers, with Prasanna’s Indian bamboo flute expanding the sound. Fictional Gorillaz frontman 2D notes: “Doubt is very tiring but questioning things is really good for you.”
“The God of Lying” follows previous singles “The Happy Dictator” with Sparks and “The Manifesto” featuring Trueno and late D12 member Proof. The album explores themes of grief and political division, drawing inspiration from Albarn and Jamie Hewlett both losing their fathers and traveling to India together.
“The Mountain” features an expansive guest list including Black Thought, Omar Souleyman, Asha Puthli, Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Kara Jackson, Yasiin Bey, Paul Simonon, Johnny Marr, and Anoushka Shankar. Posthumous contributions come from Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Dennis Hopper, Tony Allen, and Mark E. Smith.
Gorillaz breaks tradition by not creating animated music videos for individual singles this time, instead planning a one-off production. The band headlines major 2026 festivals and a UK/Ireland tour, including a stadium show at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20th.
Tracklist:
- The Mountain (feat. Dennis Hopper, Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash)
- The Moon Cave (feat. Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda and Black Thought)
- The Happy Dictator (feat. Sparks)
- The Hardest Thing (feat. Tony Allen)
- Orange County (feat. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar)
- The God of Lying (feat. IDLES)
- The Empty Dream Machine (feat. Black Thought, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
- The Manifesto (feat. Trueno and Proof)
- The Plastic Guru (feat. Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
- Delirium (feat. Mark E. Smith)
- Damascus (feat. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey)
- The Shadowy Light (feat. Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Ajay Prasanna, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash)
- Casablanca (feat. Paul Simonon and Johnny Marr)
- The Sweet Prince (feat. Ajay Prasanna, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
- The Sad God (feat. Black Thought, Ajay Prasanna and Anoushka Shankar)
Europe:
- March 20: Co-op Live, Manchester, UK (NEW DATE DUE TO DEMAND)
- March 21: Co-op Live, Manchester, UK
- March 22: bp pulse LIVE, Birmingham, UK
- March 24: OVO Hydro, Glasgow, UK (SOLD OUT)
- March 25: First Direct Arena, Leeds, UK
- March 27: Utilita Arena, Cardiff, UK (SOLD OUT)
- March 28: Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, UK
- March 29: M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, UK
- March 31: SSE Arena, Belfast, UK (SOLD OUT)
- April 1: 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland (SOLD OUT)
- April 2: 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland (NEW DATE DUE TO DEMAND, SOLD OUT)
- June 6: Primavera Sound Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- June 10: Rock For People, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
- June 11-13: Primavera Sound Porto, Porto, Portugal
- June 14: Best Kept Secret, Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands
- June 20: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
- June 23: INmusic Festival, Zagreb, Croatia
- June 25: Release Athens x SNF Nostos 2026, Athens, Greece
- June 27: La Prima Estate Festival, Lido di Camaiore, Italy
- July 2: Roskilde Festival, Denmark
- July 4: Rock Werchter, Belgium
- July 9: Pohoda Festival, Trencin, Slovakia
- July 14: Pozitif Vibrations, Istanbul, Turkey (NEW DATE DUE TO DEMAND)
- July 16: Pozitif Vibrations, Istanbul, Turkey
- July 18: PhillGood Festival, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
- July 25: Piazza Unita’ d’Italia, Trieste, Italy
- August 13: BitterSweet Festival, Poznan, Poland
- August 15: Way Out West, Gothenburg, Sweden
