Since their last album seven years ago, Plastic Beach, British animated musical sensation Gorillaz have finally given their patient fans a new classic to rave about. With hits such as “Clint Eastwood” and “Feel Good Inc.”, Gorillaz are well-renowned for their unique style of animation and alternative rock. On March 23rd, Gorillaz released several music videos: “Saturnz Barz”, “We Got The Power”, “Ascension”, and “Andromeda” to announce their new album, Humanz, with each individual song reaching the Billboard top ten, skyrocketing the hype for the full release.

Being tasked with making an album about “if Trump won the presidential election,” co-founder Damon Albarn’s iconic cartoon band delivers another immersive, highly imaginative album depicting a setting after a major real-world event. Humanz manages to retain that original Gorillaz magic, which involves a variety of genres meshed together into a very solid album. While Gorillaz greatest work may always be Demon Days (2005), Humanz is still an outstanding album in its own right. While Kendrick Lamar’s critically-acclaimed DAMN. has most likely stolen the show for the music industry as a whole for 2017, Humanz will definitely be regarded as one of the best albums of the year, even if it isn’t up to par with some of the band’s other works. To say Humanz wasn’t as great as the rest of the Gorillaz discography isn’t a knock on the album, as I personally enjoyed it for what it is, but more of an ode to the band’s music as a whole, as this is merely a good addition to an already strong body of work.

Humanz, like every other Gorillaz album, features a variety of other musicians, including newer faces like Savages frontwoman Jehnny Beth, Vince Staples, Benjamin Clementine, D.R.A.M., Zebra Katz, Kilo Kish, Kali Uchis, Kelela, Popcaan, and Danny Brown, as well as veterans in the music industry such as Mavis Staples, Pusha T, Carly Simon, Grace Jones, Anthony Hamilton, Jamie Principal and Peven Everett. My personal favorite tracks include the Danny Brown and Kelela feature, “Submission”, which involves fast-paced rhymes from Brown, impressive vocals provided by Kelela, all set to an electronic beat which compliments the mixing of the genres. My other favorite song is the Peven Everett-featured “Strobelite”, which feels reminiscent of the famous musical duo Daft Punk’s house and electronic style, which comes together into a very energetic track.

Personally, I feel Humanz is just under the bar Gorillaz has set for themselves since their debut, however it’s still one to jam to and hasn’t stopped music listeners around the world from praising it. Humanz is an ambitious work of art that still fits the criteria of creativity seen in their previous albums, even if it wasn’t my or other fan’s favorite from the group. I recommend fans of hip hop, electronic, pop, rock, and indie all give this album a listen, as it will contain something to please all of those demographics.