Six years after the release of The Fall and seven after Plastic Beach, the Gorillaz have returned with a brand new song, just in time for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. On Thursday, the Gorillaz began conversing with recording artist Benjamin Clementine over Twitter about being stuck in an elevator.
Moments later, the music video for “Hallelujah Money” was published on YouTube.
According to Uproxx, which has partnered with the band for the release of the new track, “Hallelujah Money” is “a musical statement to capture a moment in time, to question the impact of Trump’s inauguration and to mourn the prioritization of power and greed in our current world.”
It’s unclear if the song will appear on the upcoming album scheduled to arrive later in the year, as Uproxx refers to the song as “a timely precursor to that record.” And in case you’re curious about exactly what’s going on in the video, Uproxx has a fairly detailed synopsis as well:
“In the clip, Clementine stands in the gold-plated elevator of Trump Tower, delivering his pronouncement of disappointment in front of a flickering screen that flashes through other landmark moments. The images behind him cut from native dancers in Africa, to the La Candelaria brotherhood in Spain, drawing throughlines from various cultures and tribes, until an appearance from the familiar silhouette of 2D crops up at the end. Clementine delivers each line with precision and grace, conveying the severity of his words even as the final scenes dissolve into an explosion of silly cartoon footage. How else could a Gorillaz video this serious conclude, except with a little levity?”
Be on the lookout for more Gorillaz tunes later in the year.
