By Sabrina Betterly
Contributing Writer

If you’ve heard of “Feel Good Inc.”’s iconic laughing intro or the fast paced rapping of “Clint Eastwood,” chances are you’ve heard of the band Gorillaz. Gorillaz is a British virtual band consisting of four main characters: 2-D, Noodle, Murdoc and Russel. These fictional characters represent the band, but the men behind the scenes are Damon Albarn – the vocalist for Gorillaz – and Jamie Hewlett as the artist. 

Gorillaz has been active since 1998, and in a few short days, they’re releasing their seventh major album and first one since “The Now Now” in 2018. The new album is called “Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez,” implying there will be more albums to come in the Song Machine theme. 

Gorillaz’s music genre is very diverse and hard to describe, but according to Wikipedia, they are primarily Electropop. They also dabble in other genres like hip-hop, alternative rock, electronic trip hop and more.

The songs from Song Machine that have come out so far don’t disappoint. Some of my personal favorites are “Aries,” with its throw-back 80’s theme and “Pink Phantom,” with its slow beat and featuring Elton John and rapper 6LACK. “Strange Timez” is a fun, fast paced beat featuring Robert Smith’s face singing on the moon

Not only does Song Machine have great music, but the music videos are not something you want to miss. They have interesting visuals, and most importantly, they often tell us Gorillaz lore. 

Gorillaz has been doing this with their music videos since their beginning, and some stand out in terms of visuals like “Tomorrow Comes Today” from their self titled “Gorillaz” album. 

However, you can see a more concrete story in their second album, “Demon Days” where “Feel Good Inc.” features a floating island with a windmill and later in another music video, “El Manana”, you see the island being shot down along with one of the fictional members, Noodle on the island. 

At the end of this music video, the island is falling from the sky, and you’re left wondering if Noodle survived, something Gorillaz wouldn’t even reveal until years later with her reappearance in the “Plastic Beach” album, so fans were left in the dark if a beloved character was alive. 

If you’ve never even heard of Gorillaz, I encourage you to check out their music. Since their genre varies so much, there’s something for everyone, and if you’re interested in the lore, you can surely watch these music videos to get a glimpse into their world. 

The best albums to start with if you’re only here for the music is “Demon Days” and “Plastic Beach.” 

If you want to hear what they’re making today, you can check out the full release of Song Machine on Friday, Oct. 23.