Gorillaz’s The Manifesto song arrives as a seven-minute slow build that treats hip-hop like a lantern you pass around the circle: Argentine rapper Trueno steps in with serrated urgency, and a posthumous freestyle from late D12 member Proof, recorded in his early days, cuts through near the end, so it feels like a real exchange, not a splice.
Released October 8, 2025, the track is accompanied by an official visualiser on the band’s YouTube, all Hewlett flicker and pulse rather than a full narrative, which suits the track’s steady climb.
On the board, this is panoramic Gorillaz. A dubby low end and live texture keep the groove breathing while a global cast colours the edges: sarod from brothers Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, bansuri from Ajay Prasanna, brass from the longstanding Indian wedding band Jea Band Jaipur, and the Mountain Choir led by Vijayaa Shanker.
You can hear the production framework, Gorillaz with Remi Kabaka Jr., James Ford, and Samuel Egglenton, holding the space so Trueno can snap and Proof’s grain sits forward.
Gorillaz’s fictional drummer Russell Hobbs put it plainly: “As space dust we are here forever and that’s a mighty long time. This is a musical meditation infused with light. A journey of the soul, with beats…”
As a flag for the next chapter, it’s clear and big-hearted. The Manifesto is the second single from The Mountain, due March 20, 2026, following the Sparks collaboration “The Happy Dictator.”
The album also features Idles, Kara Jackson, Yasiin Bey, Omar Souleyman, Anoushka Shankar, Black Thought, and the late Tony Allen and Mark E. Smith.
It sets scale without blurring the faces: virtual band, human stakes, and a beat that keeps the light on long enough for each guest to step in and say their piece.