Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett continue to add to their abundance of collaborations with the addition of Stevie Nicks, Tame Impala, Bad Bunny and more to craft a more subtle but sublime album.

Cracker Island follows on from the similarly impressive Song Machine, Season One: Strange Times, where Damon Albarn and co. created a chaotic ensemble of songs, switching from genres such as punk and indie-rock to reggae and funk. Despite the lack of cohesion that could be said about the album, Damon Albarn does know how to take the best from his collaborators. The same can be said with Cracker Island; Albarn not wasting the talents of the brilliant collaborations he has been blessed with by using their talents in moderation. However, this time around in the short 37 minutes and 29 seconds – the shortest Gorillaz album so far — there is a greater flow with atmospheric synths and Albarn’s croons and sweet melodies leading the sound of the album, which replaces the extravaganza with subtlety for a short but stunning album.

There is a strong start to Cracker Island from the get-go in the form of the funky self-titled track and lead single introducing us to the cult theme of the album, with lyrics such as “They were planting seeds at night / To grow a made-up paradise / Where the truth was auto-tuned”. One of Gorillaz’s best songs in recent years benefits heavily from the featured talents of Thundercat — his slapping bass adding bounce and his singing of “Forever Cult” pleasing to the ear.

Next up is Oil, featuring the one and only Stevie Nicks – a song I have been dying to hear since the tracklist was announced. Whose recognisable and grandiose rasp, while kept to a minimum, interweaves perfectly with Albarn’s vocals on top of a glossy production. 

Tired Influencer contributes another example of Albarn’s effortless attempt at a melody lined with melancholy that he croons, with a sort of ‘feature’ from virtual assistant Siri, alongside shimmering synths and a simple but effective drumbeat offering a possible critique of the “cracked screen world” we live in.

The fourth and quite possibly the best track, Silent Running, presents another critique of the online world most of us currently find ourselves addicted to with such lyrics as “Well I got so lost here / Machine assisted, I disappear / To a dream, you don’t wanna hear / How I got caught up in nowhere again”. The backing vocals and feature from Adeleye Omotayo are a highlight of the fantastic album addition.

Tame Impala’s catchy and memorable delivery of lines like “But in the magic cove, there’s a pretty one” and Bootie Brown making his second feature for Gorillaz (after Dirty Harry), bring a calm charm to proceedings on the electric and pulsating New Gold. The dancefloor beats and feel of the track are substituted for another appearance of melancholic, yet elated melodies on the euphoric Baby Queen, with Albarn singing and referencing his meeting with a young member of Thailand’s royal family while on tour with Blur. 

The album’s seventh track Tarantula may lack an instantly memorable vocal hook but the sleek and pleasing disco production makes up for it, assisted by simple but sweet lyrics said to a loved one: “If you’re good for me / Then I’m good for you / And that’s all I need / In my life”. The most interesting track on the album comes from Tormenta, which sees Gorillaz venture into the genre of Reggaeton with the help of Bad Bunny. Ambient and jazzy chord progressions paired with Latin beats make this song perfect for a chill summer’s evening. 

Another highlight on Cracker Island is the penultimate track, Skinny Ape, which begins with gentle and exquisite acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies before slowly progressing and exploding into a euphoric rave that can only be listened to at full volume. 

With a sharp contrast to the conclusion of Skinny Ape, the album closes with Beck and the serene and laidback Possession Island, which boasts acoustic guitar, piano and keys beautifully blended with Albarn and Beck’s vocals that leave me wanting more collaborations between those two. The closing line of the song and album can both work as a reference to Gorillaz’s collaboration and as a life motto: “Where things, they don’t exist / And we’re all in this together /’Til the end”.    

Cracker Island sees Gorillaz add more names to their ever-growing list of collaborators. Nevertheless, the use of these collaborations sparingly may be one of its strengths, with several tracks belonging to the upper echelon of Gorillaz’s discography, creating a well-produced and gorgeous album. 

Cracker Island is out now via Parlophone.