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Jun 29, 2023 By Mark Redfern Photography by Reuben Bastienne-Lewis

Britpop icons Blur are releasing a new album, The Ballad of Darren, on July 21 via Parlophone. Now they have shared its second single, “St. Charles Square,” via a music video. Toby L directed the black & white video, which is made up of live footage. Watch it below.

Frontman Damon Albarn simply had this to say about the song in a press release: “‘St. Charles Square’ is a place where the ghosts of monsters can be found.”

Blur are headlining Wemberly Stadium in London July 8 and 9, with support from Sleaford Mods, Self Esteem, Jockstrap, Paul Weller, and The Selecter. Tickets are still available here.

Blur previously shared the album’s first single, “The Narcissist,” which was one of our Songs of the Week, as well as a teaser video for the album.

The Ballad of Darren is the band’s first new album in eight years, since 2015’s The Magic Whip, although the members of Blur have kept plenty busy since then. In the intervening years frontman Damon Albarn has released several albums with Gorillaz (including Cracker Island this past February), as well as the 2021 solo album, The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows, and the 2019 album with The Good, The Bad, & The Queen, Merrie Land. In January, drummerDave Rowntree released his debut solo album, Radio Songs, on Cooking Vinyl. In February, guitarist Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall released their self-titled debut album as The WAEVE (pick up our current print issue to read our interview with Coxon and Dougall about the album). Coxon also recently released a memoir, Verse, Chorus, Monster!. Bassist Alex James, meanwhile, has been running a cheese farm.

James Ford produced The Ballad of Darren, which was recorded in London and Devon. The album’s cover artwork is an image by British photographer Martin Parr. Blur had previously announced some 2023 concerts.

Albarn had this to say about the album in a previous press release: “This is an aftershock record, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now.”

Coxon said: “The older and madder we get, it becomes more essential that what we play is loaded with the right emotion and intention. Sometimes just a riff doesn’t do the job.”

James said: “For any long term relationship to last with any meaning you have to be able to surprise each other somehow and somehow we all continue to do that.”

Rowntree said: “It always feels very natural to make music together. With every record we do, the process reveals something new and we develop as a band. We don’t take that for granted.”

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