![Blur. 2023.07.21. (Photo = Courtesy of Warner Music Korea·Reuben Bastienne-Lewis) photo@newsis.com *Resale and DB prohibited](https://realkpop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/NISI20230721_0001322080_web.jpg)
Blur. 2023.07.21. (Photo = Courtesy of Warner Music Korea·Reuben Bastienne-Lewis) photo@newsis.com *Resale and DB prohibited
Reporter Lee Jae-hoon = The great British band ‘blur’ has released a new regular album after 8 years.
According to Warner Music Korea on the 21st, Blur released their 9th regular album ‘The Ballad of Darren’ on the same day.
Damon Albarn (vocals), Graham Coxon (guitar), Alex James (bass), and Dave Rowntree (drums) started their first meeting with the possibility of recording a new album at Albarn’s studio in West London.
This spring, 10 new songs were recorded at Studio 13 in London and Devon. On May 18, at the same time as the news of the album release, a small performance was held at the Colchester Arts Center. The new track ‘The Narcissist’, where you can feel Blur’s nostalgia, was released and received a favorable response. The iconic album cover featuring a photo of Scotland’s Grug outdoor swimming pool by renowned British photographer Martin Parr also made headlines.
Prior to the release of this album, Blur successfully completed a performance full of joy at Wembley Stadium on the 8th and 9th. “The lively energy of a band in its heyday is seething” (‘Evening Standard’) received favorable reviews.
Blur will present themselves with a different type of performance in London next week. The stage of ‘The Ballad of Darren’ will be broadcast live worldwide at the Hammersmith Apollo on the 25th at 9pm (UK time) through the Drift platform. It is the first and last performance of all songs from the album under the name of ‘blur present the ballad of Darren’.
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Blur. 2023.07.21. (Photo = Provided by Warner Music Korea) photo@newsis.com *Resale and DB prohibited
Warner Music Korea said, “This is a one-time event where fans from all over the world can enjoy the new album together.” For the rest of the year, we are planning concerts in Europe, South America and Japan.
Debuting in 1991 with the album ‘Leisure’, Blur is regarded as a band that led the revival of Britpop in the 1990s along with rival ‘Oasis’. Six consecutive albums reached number one on the UK Official Charts. It also has big hit singles such as ‘Country House’ and ‘Beetlebum’.
Coxon withdrew due to discord in 2002, and the band, which had virtually disbanded after ‘Think Tank’ in 2003, reunited in 2008 with Graham’s return. Since then, it has continued activities such as Glastonbury Festival, Hyde Park solo performance, and London Olympics closing ceremony. In 2015, he released his 8th full-length album, ‘The Magic Whip’, featuring tracks featuring ‘Pyongyang’. In Korea, they are well known for songs such as ‘Song 2’ and ‘Girls And Boys’.