BLUR

The Ballad Of Darren (Parlophone)

The return of Blur began with a one-off show announcement last autumn and was followed a few months later by the revelation that this year would bring forth their ninth album and first LP in eight years. The Ballad Of Darren’s first single The Narcissist is an emotive, introspective, addictive track laced with frank lyricism and an affecting guitar riff throughout.

Elsewhere, the melodic whimsy of St. Charles Square hearkens back to the landscape of 1994’s Parklife, amidst the reflective yearning of Russian Strings and the psychedelic-indie of Goodbye Albert that carries on echoes of the band’s last album, 2015’s The Magic Whip. It’s a vastly different world from the one in which Blur made themselves known 30-plus years ago, yet that’s almost part of the appeal here.

The Ballad Of Darren feels triumphant and self-assured; audibly, it’s Blur as they’ve always been, but with a confidence and maturity that radiates throughout. 

words CHLOË EDWARDS