Blur Confirm New Album ‘The Magic Whip’, Unveil New Single "Go Out"

Blur have confirmed that we will be releasing their eight studio album, 'The Magic Whip' on April 27th, their first new album in twelve years, 

Damon Albarn said that the follow-up to 2003's Think Tank was a return to "the way we recorded when we started. It wasn't a flash studio, it was pretty claustrophobic and hot. We went in and knocked about loads of ideas."

The band made their announcement at a hastily arranged press conference in a Chinese restaurant in London, hosted by Zane Lowe. Albarn admitted that the band had gone as far as they could go without returning to the studio: "I really felt at the end of the last gigs that that was it - there was no way we could do another gig without an another album."

It will be the first to feature the band's original line up of singer Damon Albarn, guitatist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree since 1999′s 13. Pre-order y our copy here.

Blur have also shared the album's lead track "Go Out". Check out the tracklsit and listen to the track below.

Tracklist:
01. Lonesome Street
02. New World Towers
03. Go Out
04. Ice Cream Man
05. Thought I Was A Spaceman
06. I Broadcast
07. My Terracotta Heart
08. There Are Too Many Of Us
09. Ghost Ship
10. Pyongyang
11. Ong Ong
12. Mirrorball

(facebook.com/blur)

WATCH: Graham Coxon New Video For 'Ooh, Yeh Yeh'

Graham Coxon has revealed the video to his new single 'Ooh, Yeh Yeh' taken from his latest album 'A+E'.

The single gets released on the 28th May through Parlophone Records, and will include the B-side of 'Seven Naked Valleys’.

Watch now!

Blur's Graham Coxon Announces New Album And Tour

Graham Coxon has confirmed that he had completed work on his new solo album. The guitarist, who is still reportedly taking part in low key recording sessions with Blur, will release 'A + E' on April 2nd.

Produced by Ben Hillier, the new material is apparently steeped in Krautrock and post-punk abstraction. Two quotes from Graham Coxon about the album: "Improvisations, experiments in beats, rhythms. A chance to uninhibitedly make some sort of perversely sad, danceable and funny and despondent songs."

"I didn’t want to get caught up in my usual struggle with trying to make things sound really posh. I didn’t want lovely 60s-sounding drums and valves."

The singer will play a total of 13 dates across the UK. The tour will kick off at Oxford's O2 Academy on April 13 and run until April 30 at Falmouth's Princess Pavilions venue. 

Blur To Receive Outstanding Contribution To Music Brit

Blur are to receive the Outstanding Contribution to Music accolade at the BRIT Awards in February. The quartet are thrilled to receive the prestigious honour, which comes 21 years after they released their debut album 'Leisure'.

Frontman Damon Albarn said: "It's great to have recognition for all the work and all the heartache and all the joy that's gone into this band."

Guitarist Graham Coxon said: "Being in a band this long is like a kind of time travel. We're the same gang we ever were, we've just landed in a different era. Or possibly we're a totally different Blur still playing the old tunes in 1991 forever. I haven't decided. But it's always nice to get a Brit Award."

The BRIT Awards takes place at the O2 on February 21st.