The Now Now

Gorillaz have this thing where none of the albums feel like they’re just going through the motions. Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett built the virtual band with 2D, Murdoc, Noodle, and Russel in 2001, and from that first album through Demon Days, Plastic Beach, The Fall, and Humanz, each one sounds like exactly what they wanted to make at that time.

Plastic Beach is the one that got me, but I can’t really explain what about it works. Either it hits you or it doesn’t. You could start anywhere in their catalog—it doesn’t matter. They don’t have an album that feels like padding, which shouldn’t be normal.

The Now Now is streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, the usual places. You probably already know.

They just make what they want and move on. That’s enviable.