After much hinting and speculation, Britpop icons Blur have finally revealed plans for their eighth studio album. Titled The Magic Whip, the new LP will arrive on April 27 via Parlophone. It marks the band's first full-length since 2003's Think Tank.
Rumours of the record began to swirl after UK tabloid The Sun printed an advertisement this morning (February 19) for a "massive band, more than a decade after their last full studio release." The ad featured the title The Magic Whip with the neon-lit album art (pictured above), as well as the hint that the mystery band's last album came out in the Chinese year of the goat (which last fell in 2003).
Blur then appeared on a live Facebook interview with Zane Lowe, where they confirmed that a new record had been completed. It was recorded during some downtime for the band, in a studio in Hong Kong with long-time producer Stephen Street. The tracklisting can be found below, as can the album's brand new lead single "Go Out."
Frontman Damon Albarn also confirmed that the band would be returning to play at London's Hyde Park on June 20.
Blur previously reunited and released "The Puritan"/"Under the Westway" single back in 2012, in addition to playing a string of live shows that same year.
Albarn's been hinting at a new Blur album for years now, leaving fans to hope that it really, really, really could happen. Well, now it is.
The Magic Whip:
1. Lonesome Street
2. New World Towers
3. Go Out
4. Ice Cream Man
5. Thought I Was a Spaceman
6. I Broadcast
7. My Terracotta Heart
8. There Are Too Many of Us
9. Ghost Ship
10. Pyongyang
11. Ong Ong
12. Mirrorball
Rumours of the record began to swirl after UK tabloid The Sun printed an advertisement this morning (February 19) for a "massive band, more than a decade after their last full studio release." The ad featured the title The Magic Whip with the neon-lit album art (pictured above), as well as the hint that the mystery band's last album came out in the Chinese year of the goat (which last fell in 2003).
Blur then appeared on a live Facebook interview with Zane Lowe, where they confirmed that a new record had been completed. It was recorded during some downtime for the band, in a studio in Hong Kong with long-time producer Stephen Street. The tracklisting can be found below, as can the album's brand new lead single "Go Out."
Frontman Damon Albarn also confirmed that the band would be returning to play at London's Hyde Park on June 20.
Blur previously reunited and released "The Puritan"/"Under the Westway" single back in 2012, in addition to playing a string of live shows that same year.
Albarn's been hinting at a new Blur album for years now, leaving fans to hope that it really, really, really could happen. Well, now it is.
The Magic Whip:
1. Lonesome Street
2. New World Towers
3. Go Out
4. Ice Cream Man
5. Thought I Was a Spaceman
6. I Broadcast
7. My Terracotta Heart
8. There Are Too Many of Us
9. Ghost Ship
10. Pyongyang
11. Ong Ong
12. Mirrorball
