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Composition

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The album's opening track, "Humility", contains elements of G-funk[1] and yacht rock;[2] the song also features guitar from American musician George Benson. Its lyrics pertain to the feeling of loneliness.[1] In an interview with Rolling Stone, Albarn stated that its opening line, "Calling the world from isolation", was "partly about the sense you get when you're constantly on the road" and a statement against isolationism.[3] The line "Reset myself and get back on track" was seen by Sputnikmusic as a "mission statement" for the album and "a flag planted in the ground where Gorillaz wiped the slate clean".[4] Will Hermes described its sound as "vintage" and "chilled-out" in a review for Rolling Stone,[5] and Larry Fitzmaurice of Spin labelled it "tiki-bar pop".[6] Both Olivia Ovenden of Esquire and Aidan Ryan of The Skinny saw Benson's guitar work as similar to that in his 1980 song "Give Me the Night".[7][8]

"Tranz", the following track, is about the sensation of crashing out following a night of partying[6] and features elements of krautrock.[9] Ben Devlin of musicOMH wrote that Tranz "courses along with repeated bass notes and glistening chords."[10] Fitzmaurice compared its drum machines and synthesisers to those found in the 2005 Gorillaz track "Feel Good Inc.",[6] while Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote that its rhythm was "tapping" and "squared-off".[9] The next track on the album, "Hollywood", features American rapper Snoop Dogg and American producer Jamie Principle and is the only song on the album to contain guest vocals.[11] Critics have compared it to acid house,[10] techno[2] and hip hop.[12] Its original demo was recorded in a hotel room whilst Gorillaz were on tour in 2017.[13]

The song "Kansas" features, according to Collin Brennan of Consequence of Sound, "the same space-funk flourishes that put the group on the map".[14]

"Lake Zurich" is a largely instrumental track and carries elements of disco<ref exclaim review> and pop soul.<ref themusicalhype review> It features cowbell[15] and a spoken-word sequence describing a tunnel from Europe to the United States.[3] Rachel Aroesti of The Guardian compared its synthesisers to those found in the Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five song "The Message"[15], while David Brusie of The A.V. Club saw elements of LCD Soundsystem's music.[16]

"Magic City" contains elements of synth-pop[16] and contributions from Blur guitarist Graham Coxon.[6] The track was described as "drifting ethereally as though flying over a cityscape" by Ovenden[7] and "melancholic" by Anna Alger of Exclaim!.<ref exclaim review>. Its abrupt end was described by the former reviewer as "leaving you wondering if it was all a daydream".[7] Brusie called the track "a Magical Mystery Tour-era Beatles workout".[16]

"Fire Flies" features loud bass and a trap-like Roland TR-808 beat.<ref paste review><ref michigandaily single review> The song's line "Baby I just survived, I got drunk, I’m sorry, am I losing you?" was interpreted as a reference to Brexit by Jazz Monroe of Pitchfork, who found it to be "a come-back plea that might as well be Britain sending a rueful late-night text to the EU".[11] Pareles described the song as a "not-quite-waltz".[9] times review>

The track "One Percent" is a ballad<ref av club review> which samples audio of marching feet.<ref paste review> According to Robert Ham of Paste, its keyboard lines are "intertwining" and "psychedelic".<ref paste review>

"Souk Eye" closes the album and features lyrics about love.[10]

  1. ^ a b "Gorillaz - 'The Now Now' Album Review - NME". NME. 2018-06-27. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  2. ^ a b "Damon Albarn questions everything on Gorillaz's surprisingly personal The Now Now". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2020-06-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ a b Vozick-Levinson, Simon (2018-09-25). "Damon Albarn Is Living in the Now". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-06-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ "Review: Gorillaz - The Now Now". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  5. ^ Hermes, Will (2018-06-27). "Review: Gorillaz's 'The Now Now' Is a Focused Call for Unity". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-06-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ a b c d "Gorillaz 'The Now Now' Review". Spin. 2018-06-29. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  7. ^ a b c Ovenden, Olivia (2018-06-25). "Gorillaz's 'The Now Now' Is A Welcome Return To Form". Esquire. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  8. ^ "Gorillaz album review: The Now Now". The Skinny. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  9. ^ a b c Pareles, Jon (2018-06-27). "Behind the Cartoon Gorillaz, Damon Albarn Is a Man Alone". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
  10. ^ a b c "Gorillaz - The Now Now | Album Reviews". musicOMH. 2018-06-26. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  11. ^ a b Monroe, Jazz. "Gorillaz: The Now Now". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  12. ^ Laws, Mike (2018-07-09). "Gorillaz' Off-Kilter World". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
  13. ^ Aubrey, Elizabeth (2018-06-21). "Gorillaz share new track – 'Hollywood'". NME. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  14. ^ "Album Review: Gorillaz Dial Up the Desolation on The Now Now". Consequence of Sound. 2018-07-02. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  15. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Guardian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference AVClub was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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