With tour life officially behind them until 2023, alternative royalty Gorillaz is back with a new track. Their latest single, “Baby Queen,” is a deep cut callback for die-hard fans. Flooded with trippy instrumentation and placid storytelling, the collective’s co-creator, Damon Albarn revisits his 1997 encounter with a real life princess.
The princess in question, Sirivannavari of Thailand, has been a muse for the musician for well over a decade now. Albarn explained his fascination (via the LA Times) with the princess, stating, “The reason I’ve written a song about it is because I had a dream about this princess very recently; she’d grown up and we spent time in my dream together, her as a woman.”
With lyrics like, “under Garuda’s mirror lights / she takes flight / yeah, the kid’s alright,” and, “she fell into the generals (oh, baby queen) / on the watch all around her / I fell into the vanity / the mirrored lights of our dreams,” the song taps into the mystical allure surrounding royal figures.
Although, Gorillaz’s forthcoming album, Cracker Island, isn’t set to be released until February 24, fans have already been treated to two singles. The project’s title track featuring Thundercat, as well as “New Gold” featuring Tame Impala and Bootie Brown, does a stellar job laying the groundwork for what’s to come from the full project.
Listen to the full track above.
Gorillaz is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.