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Damon Albarn's hell-raising Britpop days are well and truly behind him, having revealed the sedate influences behind his new solo album, Everyday Robots.
Famed for hits such as 'Song 2' and 'Girls & Boys', the Blur frontman will release his first ever solo album (2012's Dr Dee soundtrack didn't really count) on 28 April, 2014, featuring collaborations with the likes of Brian Eno and Bat For Lashes' Natasha Kahn. But where his early work was based on the likes of sexually adventurous holiday-makers or cranial inspections by aviation vehicles, his new album promises to be a much more relaxed affair.
"Lyrically, the song was inspired by two things - watching sheep on a hill in Devon at sunset, and when Blur played Coachella festival last year, we were stuck in a traffic jam for hours," Albarn tells The Sun newspaper.
"All I could see out of the window were people in cars, on their phones. Nature and technology come up throughout the album."
The Blur and Gorillaz frontman has described the album as his "most soul-searching and autobiographical yet, explores nature versus technology."
The album, produced by XL's Richard Russell, has also been called 'a sort of folk soul'. It will be preceeded by the LP's title track on 3 March. The deluxe edition of the album will come packaged with a DVD of Albarn performing album tracks live at Fox Studios Los Angeles.
Watch the video for 'Everyday Robots below
The tracklisting for Everyday Robots is:
01 Everyday Robots
02 Hostiles
03 Lonely Press Play
04 Mr. Tembo
05 Parakeet
06 The Selfish Giant
07 You and Me
08 Hollow Ponds
09 Seven High
10 Photographs (You Are Taking Now)
11 The History of a Cheating Heart
12 Heavy Seas of Love
The Everyday Robots DVD features:
01 Track x Track Video (Bundle Only)
02 Everyday Robots (Live From Fox Studios Los Angeles)
03 Hostiles (Live From Fox Studios Los Angeles)
04 Lonely Press Play (Live From Fox Studios Los Angeles)
05 Hollow Ponds (Live From Fox Studios Los Angeles)
Below: 13 solo albums that we'd really love to hear
