Woo-hoo! Blur announces first album in eight years, ‘The Ballad of Darren’

Blur has announced a new album called The Ballad of Darren.

The ninth studio effort from Damon Albarn and company — and their first in eight years — arrives July 21. You can listen to the first single, “The Narcissist,” now via digital outlets.

“This is an aftershock record, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now,” Albarn says.

The Ballad of Darren is the follow-up to 2015’s The Magic Whip. Since then, the band members have been busy with various different projects and pursuits, including Albarn, who’s put out four Gorillaz albums and a new solo record in that time.

The album news comes just ahead of Blur’s first tour in eight years, which begins Friday in England. No U.S. dates have been announced so far.

Here’s the track list for The Ballad of Darren:

“The Ballad”
“St Charles Square”
“Barbaric”
“Russian Strings”
“The Everglades (For Leonard)”
“The Narcissist”
“Goodbye Albert”
“Far Away Island”
“Avalon”
“The Heights”