Above all else, Gorillaz is a band, and while their music is their main product, their public image has been almost (or arguably) as important. Their wild and deep mythology is fabricated yet rooted in a sort of reality that’s tangential to our own, but until recently, it’s existed almost exclusively in their music videos, which when combined, form an engaging narrative that tells listeners what 2D, Russel, Murdoc, and Noodle are all about.
It’s been a minute since our favorite virtual band put out a new album—The Fall, their fourth record, came out in 2011—but they have a new one on the way at some point in 2017. They’ve done a terrific job at generating hype for the as-of-yet untitled release with virtual, multimedia storybooks explaining the backstories of the band members, about the mayhem and chaos they’ve gotten up to since the Plastic Beach days.
The Book of Noodle explained that Noodle has been hunting an evil demon in Japan for the better part of this decade, while The Book of Russel regaled us with the tale of how the drummer grew to 60 times his size and was mistaken for Godzilla. Now, the band has just shared The Book of Murdoc, and his journey was a tragic one: When Plastic Beach was raided by pirates, he retreated in a “rusty brown submarine” with a limited amount of alcohol.
It only gets wilder from there, and we’re not ones to spoil a good time, so check out The Book of Murdoc for yourself below, and keep an eye out for The Book of 2D, which is presumably around the corner.
Featured image: Gorillaz
