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Oct 23, 2018 By Christopher Roberts The Good, The Bad, & The Queen

The Good, The Bad, & The Queen have announced their long-awaited sophomore album, Merrie Land, and shared its title track. 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 band 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 is finally due out November 16. Below is its tracklist and cover art, followed by the band’s upcoming tour dates.

Merrie Land was produced by the band with Tony Visconti (David Bowie). A press release says 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 press release further describes 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.

Merrie Land Tracklist:

01 Merrie Land
02 Gun to the Head
03 Nineteen Seventeen
04 The Great Fire
05 Lady Boston
06 Drifters & Trawlers
07 The Truce of Twilight
08 Ribbons
09 The Last Man to Leave
10 The Poison Tree

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

12-01 Blackpool, England - The North Pier
12-02 Glasgow, Scotland - SWG3
12-04 London, England - Hackney Arts Centre
12-05 London, England - Hackney Arts Centre
12-06 London, England - Hackney Arts Centre

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