After 12 years, UK band Blur unexpectedly announced a new album Feb. 19.
Titled The Magic Whip, it comes after a series of reunion shows that the band played in 2009.
It will be released Apr. 27 internationally, and Apr. 28 in the United States.
Blur revealed the album title, release date, and first single “Go Out” in a live streamed press conference from a Chinese restaurant in London.
Blur publicly split up in 2003, after the release of the album Think Tank. That album’s tumultuous recording, and the experimental direction it led, exacerbated schisms already present in the group.
Blur finished recording the album without guitarist Graham Coxon, and disbanded shortly after.
The music video for “Go Out” is below:
In the interim, singer Damon Albarn recorded multiple albums as part of the musical project Gorillaz, while Graham Coxon wrote and recorded solo albums under his own name.
Bassist Alex James produced award-winning cheese from his farm in Southern England, and drummer David Rowntree ran for public office in Essex, England.
Blur reunited for one show in London’s Hyde Park in 2009. After the success of that show, the band went on a very successful tour, headlining major UK festivals such as T in the Park and Glastonbury.
Following the tour, Damon Albarn made intermittent comments about new recordings, but other than the single “Fool’s Day,” nothing was confirmed until today.
Photo and video courtesy of Blur
