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Nov 05, 2018 By Christopher Roberts Damon Albarn

The Good, The Bad, & The Queen are releasing their long-awaited sophomore album, Merrie Land, on November 16. Now they have shared another song from the album, “Gun to the Head,” via a video for the song that features a man pretending to be a puppet as he sings the song. The band features Damon Albarn (of Blur and Gorillaz), Afrobeat legend Tony Allen, Paul Simonon (of The Clash), and Simon Tong (of The Verve). The lush song sounds somewhat closer to a vintage Blur ballad than anything else Albarn has done of late. Watch it below, followed by the band’s upcoming tour dates.

Previously The Good, The Bad, & The Queen shared the album’s title track (which was one of our Songs of the Week) and stopped by Later… with Jools Holland to perform it.

The Good, The Bad, & The Queen released their debut album way back in 2007 and have long been teasing its follow-up (of course Albarn has kept very busy in the last 11 years). Merrie Land was produced by the band with Tony Visconti (David Bowie). A previous press release said the songs were written as Brexit was being negotiated and the UK is attempting to leave the European Union, which creates “a reluctant good-bye letter, a series of observations and reflections on Britishness in 2018.”

The previous press release further described the album: “Merrie Land‘s focus moves beyond GBQ’s London-themed first album to a wider land, with a beautiful and hopeful paean to the Britain of today, an inclusive Britain, currently in an Anglo-Saxostentialist crises at the end of a relationship, wondering what might be salvaged. Could there be a more perfect band - with their creative symbiosis of pasts and present and shared acclaimed music histories - to reflect on the anticipation, disorientation and confusion of current life.”

Gorillaz released a new album, The Now Now, back in June via Warner Bros.

The Good, The Bad, & The Queen Tour Dates:

November 26th - Tynemouth CIU Club, NORTH EAST
November 27th - Cullercoats Crescent Club, NORTH EAST
November 28th - Cullercoats Crescent Club, NORTH EAST
December 1st - The North Pier, BLACKPOOL
December 2nd - SWG3, GLASGOW
December 3rd - Hackney Arts Centre, LONDON
December 5th - Hackney Arts Centre, LONDON
December 6th - Hackney Arts Centre, LONDON

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