The Now Now
by Gorillaz
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 228 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 194 out of 228
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 228
  3. Negative: 13 out of 228
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  1. Critics2017
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    The feeling when you listen to a new album gorillaz can not be expressed in simple words. The best songs on the album in my opinion are Humility and Fire Flies
  2. Alwaysbiased
    Jul 11, 2018
    10
    I’m just gonna put out my bold statement right away; this is my favourite Gorillaz album.

    I like all the tracks whether it’s from the groovy upbeat track of Sorcererz to the emotional ballad of Fire Flies. They’re all great. I thoroughly enjoy the focused perspective and mood of 2-D making all the tracks sound succinct with a great vibe. You can thank producer James Ford for making    I’m just gonna put out my bold statement right away; this is my favourite Gorillaz album.

    I like all the tracks whether it’s from the groovy upbeat track of Sorcererz to the emotional ballad of Fire Flies. They’re all great.

    I thoroughly enjoy the focused perspective and mood of 2-D making all the tracks sound succinct with a great vibe. You can thank producer James Ford for making it sound more normal, in a sense.

    While Demon Days and Plastic Beach are stand out albums for the band from most people’s point of view, in my opinion, they are still flawed. Tracks from these albums can feel repetitive (Dirty Harry, All Alone, White Light) or annoying (Glitter Freeze, Sweepstakes). I’ve listened to these albums religiously for an entire month, and those got stale making me have to skip them.

    The Now Now isn’t like that for me. All the songs are the right length without getting repetitive and annoying with the nice synths mixed with other instrumentation and a bridge or a change up to keep the listener engaged. I know this album isn’t as ambitious and experimental as other albums, but that’s what makes me love it.

    It’s basically a conventional album; all from one artist’s vision who brings it to life with their fellow band members having a consistent vibe and flow to it without having to reinvent music or change the music landscape. All they try to do is make you feel good.    … Expand
  3. bubblishing
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    The Now Now is a minor achievement for Gorillaz, whose tendencies of going big usually takes away what we've learned to love the most about them: Albarn's core, his pure-hearted lyrics and their ability to make a cartoon band more human than we all
  4. Thatislife
    Jun 29, 2018
    8
    Songs like Fire Flies, Lake Zurich and Souk Eye are really amazing to listen to. This is an amazing album, seeing Damon Albarn sing more songs in comparison with Humanz makes this a better album in my opinion. Though i feel like songs like Sorcererz and Idaho are missing something. But that doesn't make those songs bad at all.

    A great album!
  5. Paulo1Rique
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    Gorillaz did a great work with this album, all the songs are masterpieces. Great record and great songs. The Now Now shows us how Albarn enjoys doing music, he is one of the most creative men in the current pop / rock scene
  6. NY3D
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    This album is such an amazing comeback and is a masterpiece. All the songs are great to listen to, they have good guests, and the production is just perfect. There are energetic songs like Tranz, Hollywood, and Lake Zurich. But there are also beautiful calm songs that perfectly counter the energetic songs, such as Souk Eye, Kansas, One Percent, and Fire Flies. In addition, there are songsThis album is such an amazing comeback and is a masterpiece. All the songs are great to listen to, they have good guests, and the production is just perfect. There are energetic songs like Tranz, Hollywood, and Lake Zurich. But there are also beautiful calm songs that perfectly counter the energetic songs, such as Souk Eye, Kansas, One Percent, and Fire Flies. In addition, there are songs in the middle, such as Humility and Sorcererz. Everything fits together, flows nicely, and all the songs are musical masterpieces and one of Damon's best work. Can't help but fall in love with this album. Favorite songs: Souk Eye and Kansas.… Expand
  7. bigboy12
    Jun 29, 2018
    8
    I've been i Gorillaz fan for quite sometime and i will say that this album is a lot better than last years disappointment Humanz but it is no where near as comparable as Demon Days or Plastic Beach but it gives the same sort of vibes as The Fall did. My favorite tracks are Sorcererz,Kansas and Magic City
  8. truebestkorea
    Jul 3, 2018
    10
    Gorillaz, the blockbuster genre-bending virtual band founded by Damon Albarn of 90s Britpop superstars Blur and “Tank Girl” artist Jamie Hewlett, have released their sixth studio album, The Now Now. For a little background, Gorillaz’s animated persona is fronted by Murdoc, the jailed bassist, and supported by singer/keyboardist/lyricist 2D, guitarist Noodle, and drummer Russel. As MurdocGorillaz, the blockbuster genre-bending virtual band founded by Damon Albarn of 90s Britpop superstars Blur and “Tank Girl” artist Jamie Hewlett, have released their sixth studio album, The Now Now. For a little background, Gorillaz’s animated persona is fronted by Murdoc, the jailed bassist, and supported by singer/keyboardist/lyricist 2D, guitarist Noodle, and drummer Russel. As Murdoc is currently imprisoned, this record was written entirely by 2D, the only album aside from 2011’s The Fall to have done so. A stand-in bassist, Ace, has taken up residency with Gorillaz on their current leg of the World Tour, when this album was produced.

    Humility: 7/10
    Tranz: 8/10
    Hollywood: 7/10
    Kansas: 10/10
    Sorcererz: 8/10
    Idaho: 9/10
    Lake Zurich: 8/10
    Magic City: 10/10
    Fire Flies: 10/10
    One Percent: 9/10
    Souk Eye: 10/10

    On The Now Now, 2D’s voice glides from one synth line to the next - as the highlight track Kansas would say, “coasting”. Whether it be over relaxed guitars (Humility) or punchy bittersweet beats (Magic City), his singing never seems out of place. Speaking of vocals, these are some of Damon’s best ever. The song Kansas features a man sounding dejected, melancholy, “incapable of healing”. 2D laments lost love on tracks such as Fire Flies and Souk Eye, both portions of the impeccable finish to the record. Even the instrumental track, the retro Lake Zurich, provides a strong counterpoint to the acoustic Idaho. Despite our singer’s setting changes, the album is definitely very consistent thematically. After the new wave inspired chords of Tranz and Hollywood’s techno flourishes, his temperament remains consistently glum and moody.
    The album never quite reaches the high of Demon Days or Plastic Beach, falling just short of those magnum opi of modern dark pop. Some of the transitions could have been done better, and it lacks a grand narrative. Additionally, aside from the first three songs, I wouldn’t recommend putting this on shuffle. Still, overall it’s yet another masterstroke in the Gorillaz discography. The production, the lyrics, the instrumentals, the atmosphere - it’s all there.

    Highlights: Tranz, Kansas, Idaho, Lake Zurich, Magic City, Fire Flies, Souk Eye

    9.5/10.    … Expand
  9. Alex_Nevermind
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    WOW! Gorillaz are back in top form! "The Now Now" is an EXCELLENT project! I was thoroughly impressed by it. Unquestionably one of the best projects of 2018 thus far/ 10 OUT OF 10 STARS! :-)
  10. Hendo250
    Mar 29, 2021
    8
    this album is a 8 this album is a 8 this album is a 8 this album is a 8 this album is a 8
  11. NateDrake
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    Pure magic - so much comfort and melancholy with unique sound and great Albarn vocals. Tranz alone will be in my heart forever.
  12. Wuehltisch
    Jul 8, 2018
    7
    It's an attempt to re-innovate, but being lost to find a consensus. There are some very cool, soothing songs, but as a whole, the album is just above mediocrity. I can't argue about Sorcererz, Lake Zurich and Souk Eye, though.
  13. TinyInfinity6
    Jul 3, 2018
    9
    The Now Now makes Humanz look like a sloppy first draft. While the general tone of the album is much less frantic and forbidding, much of the sound is similar minus the misplaced collaborators and features. It also lets the characters play a bigger role in the development of the music with Murdoc, the band's bassist, imprisoned. This gives canonical context as to why the album divertsThe Now Now makes Humanz look like a sloppy first draft. While the general tone of the album is much less frantic and forbidding, much of the sound is similar minus the misplaced collaborators and features. It also lets the characters play a bigger role in the development of the music with Murdoc, the band's bassist, imprisoned. This gives canonical context as to why the album diverts from much of what was established in Humanz.

    On top of that, the songs are pretty damn good too.

    9/10    … Expand
  14. thedaywalker
    Jul 6, 2018
    7
    Very good album.
    Gorillas returns to it's more pop, rock, electronic groove and i enjoyed it. The main problem i have is that, it seems a bit moody then groovy. Songs like Idaho and One percent make it hard to listen to.
    But mostly the production is very psychadelic and i enjoyed it

    Favorite Songs: Hollywood, Kansas, Sorcererz, Magic City
    Least Favorite Songs: Idaho, One percent
  15. DiegoDietz
    Jul 21, 2020
    9
    Puede considerarse el álbum menos jugado y experimental de Gorillaz, sin embargo me parece muy superior a Humanz (que era un buen disco pero tenía muchos puntos flojos y por momentos era un caos de feats.)
    Damon para TNN tenía claro que era lo que quería: un disco intimo, nostálgico, chill y que por momentos tenga algún que otro track movido para compensar. (Tranz, Hollywood, Lake Zurich)    Puede considerarse el álbum menos jugado y experimental de Gorillaz, sin embargo me parece muy superior a Humanz (que era un buen disco pero tenía muchos puntos flojos y por momentos era un caos de feats.)
    Damon para TNN tenía claro que era lo que quería: un disco intimo, nostálgico, chill y que por momentos tenga algún que otro track movido para compensar. (Tranz, Hollywood, Lake Zurich)
    La producción y grabación es excelente: con auriculares podemos apreciar pequeños sonidos, coros e instrumentos que se van agregando a las canciones a medida que van avanzando.
    A nivel personal puedo decir que TNN trae una de las mejores canciones de la banda desde sus inicios y que creo que entra en su top 5: Souk Eye.    … Expand
  16. FromKanga
    Aug 6, 2018
    7
    Gorillaz is my favorite band and they have made some of my favorite albums (demon days, plastic beach), Humanz was a big disappointment but this new album is a big improvement, however I wouldn't call this a return to form, I like most of the songs but some of them don't work as much in my opinion (one percent, sorcererz). It's still a very fun summer album and I would recommend it.
  17. gilsimcha10
    Jun 29, 2018
    7
    after the disapointing humanz and the better humanz deluxe version i was super hyped to hear this new gorrilaz album so let's get to it. almost EVERY SINGLE SONG on the album is wierd or forgetteble a perfect example is idaho a wierd bad and forgetteble song that dosen't really feel like gorillaz. sure the band has taken on multiple genres but this take was preety bland. humility firefliesafter the disapointing humanz and the better humanz deluxe version i was super hyped to hear this new gorrilaz album so let's get to it. almost EVERY SINGLE SONG on the album is wierd or forgetteble a perfect example is idaho a wierd bad and forgetteble song that dosen't really feel like gorillaz. sure the band has taken on multiple genres but this take was preety bland. humility fireflies and holliwood are all great songs that stick out every time i hear them.....but other then those songs everything is just good but forgetteble i cannot recall the hook on preety much any of those and so i can't really say alot about them. WAS THIS ALBUM BETTER THAN HUMANZ -yes. WAS THIS ALBUM BETTER THAN HUMANZ DELUXE- not in the slightest. but i am going to give THE NOW NOW the same rating as i gave to the better humanz deluxe. THE NOW NOW 7/10… Expand
  18. whoischarlotte
    Jul 9, 2018
    8
    It's very jammy and catchy. I like this a lot. Humanz whooooooooooooooooooo?
  19. TrevorMcAdam
    Jun 29, 2018
    9
    The Now Now is a Great Album that gives us a lot of new sounds that Gorillaz hasn't done before, However it works out as its enjoyable to listen to without feeling repetitive or that the songs all feel the same. I like all of the tracks on the album, Highlights in my Opinion are Humility, Hollywood, Kansas, Idaho, Magic City, Fire Flies, and Souk Eye. The Only Problem I have with The NowThe Now Now is a Great Album that gives us a lot of new sounds that Gorillaz hasn't done before, However it works out as its enjoyable to listen to without feeling repetitive or that the songs all feel the same. I like all of the tracks on the album, Highlights in my Opinion are Humility, Hollywood, Kansas, Idaho, Magic City, Fire Flies, and Souk Eye. The Only Problem I have with The Now Now is how some songs could have been better if it was more like its Live Version. Tranz is the biggest example of this, while the song is pretty good in my opinion, if it had the more Deeper, Energetic, and Louder vocals from the live performance then the song would have been in my opinion a perfect song. Overall, The Now Now is an album that I am sure I will keep coming back to over and over again in the future… Expand
  20. huri
    Jul 5, 2018
    8
    I feel like I am slow dancing in a disco club on a summer night in the year 2042.
  21. Nazario08
    Jul 1, 2018
    9
    Apesar de seu disfarce, percebemos que esse álbum fala muito sobre como Damon Albarn enxerga o mundo ao seu redor. Mostra seu lado mais pessoal, até mesmo em relação à seus sentimentos mais obscuros, como o pensamento de suicídio e a pressão social para compor mais e mais músicas. Tudo isso junto de seus arranjos impecáveis. Tiramos a conclusão de que “The Now Now” é sobre o agora, mas nãoApesar de seu disfarce, percebemos que esse álbum fala muito sobre como Damon Albarn enxerga o mundo ao seu redor. Mostra seu lado mais pessoal, até mesmo em relação à seus sentimentos mais obscuros, como o pensamento de suicídio e a pressão social para compor mais e mais músicas. Tudo isso junto de seus arranjos impecáveis. Tiramos a conclusão de que “The Now Now” é sobre o agora, mas não só o agora de Damon, mas o nosso e o de vários outros artistas que estão no auge hoje. (Saga Das Músicas on)… Expand
  22. fwlipx
    Jun 29, 2018
    9
    Esse álbum tem umas músicas perfeitas, felizmente gorillaz não decepciona.
  23. Edipomonteseu
    Jun 29, 2018
    8
    Gorillaz conseguiu manter a qualidade do Humanz, mas agora de uma maneira mais leve, sutil e menos dançante num álbum mais curto. Destaque para magic city
  24. jeddi222
    Jul 5, 2018
    9
    now i see the real beauty of this album and it really encapsulates you to 2d's world. of what he really sees on the world
  25. VICTORIN56
    Jun 30, 2018
    9
    Refreshing and touching, like old times. Lyrics had been improved too, The chorus are amazing
  26. Laddi
    Jun 30, 2018
    8
    Much better than Humanz in my opinion, with some real classics like Fireflies and Lake Zurich. Really appreciate the usual change in style and mood too.
  27. ExLight
    Jul 8, 2018
    8
    Um pouco mais apelativo aos fãs da banda, o álbum desvia do caminho seguido anteriormente por Humanz, relativamente mais agressivo e politizado.

    The Now Now é um disco disfarçadamente melancólico e agradável, apesar de tímido; seguindo então uma linha mais techno pop e coerente, evitando a presença de muitos feats. ofuscantes.
  28. BeniteX
    Jul 11, 2018
    9
    Es un álbum muy variado y pegadiso que te haga olvidar todo en los 40 minutos que dura, pero le falta un tema o concepto que lo caracterize, aun así es muy alternativo y varia de temas, como siempre lo ha hecho Gorillaz, Good Job
  29. Rodromo56
    Jul 14, 2018
    8
    This album it's perfect if you want a chill, easy to listen. Gorillaz has given us a great album.
  30. maningrey
    Sep 16, 2018
    9
    I pretty liked that album. That's chill beats is what I need this summer. I love Tranz and Magic City.
  31. Doctorskeys2015
    Dec 6, 2018
    10
    When it comes to gorillaz in general, I am pretty late to the party. But their most recent album has got to be one of my favorite ones. All the song are amazing in my opinion.
  32. sandwichcipher
    Apr 5, 2019
    10
    The Now Now was basically what I wanted to hear from Damon. I can't even describe how much I enjoyed this album. My main favorite songs are Tranz, Magic City, Fire Flies, and One Percent.. The rest of the album is great.
  33. Axxypie
    Sep 12, 2021
    8
    Although not as impactful as some other Gorillaz albums, this one proves itself as a very nice collection of dreamy electronic and rap tunes, making it unique in its own regard.
  34. Spoonyon
    Feb 9, 2020
    7
    This is not another Demon Days, Plastic Beach or even Humanz. It's clearly not meant to be as big of a deal as those massive conceptual undertakings and if you go into this expecting to hear another helping of that then you might be disappointed. But if all you want to hear is some gorillaz-esque summer jams then you'll probably dig it.
  35. dirtyfortress
    Jun 11, 2020
    9
    Great album! The instrumentals and lyrics are great! This energy is a great feeling!
  36. Le_Username
    Nov 9, 2020
    7
    A decent album, that's what I would describe The Now Now, it's not incredibly good nor ambitious like other Gorillaz's projects, nor crazy inconsistency and varied genre wise, it's a more consistent, stuck with a main idea within it. It's basically Humanz's The Fall, it's a 2D album, not a Gorillaz one, the features that were too predominant in Humanz are no longer here, a lot of synthA decent album, that's what I would describe The Now Now, it's not incredibly good nor ambitious like other Gorillaz's projects, nor crazy inconsistency and varied genre wise, it's a more consistent, stuck with a main idea within it. It's basically Humanz's The Fall, it's a 2D album, not a Gorillaz one, the features that were too predominant in Humanz are no longer here, a lot of synth used in this one. The album overall is good, but nothing special, it's kinda forgettable actually, but I'd say it's a very good change from Gorilaz's last project. 7/10.… Expand
  37. Charlesghost
    May 28, 2021
    9
    Esse álbum é completamente memorável, depois de um álbum praticamente perfeito (humanz) ele consegue superar, na minha opinião, qualquer expectativa que tinha sobre ele.
    pontos positivos: ele tem uma cronologia perfeita, as musicas na sequencia proposta da uma sensação de evolução que termina com vontade de escutar tudo denovo, destaque para o fim com magic city, fire flies,one placement    Esse álbum é completamente memorável, depois de um álbum praticamente perfeito (humanz) ele consegue superar, na minha opinião, qualquer expectativa que tinha sobre ele.
    pontos positivos: ele tem uma cronologia perfeita, as musicas na sequencia proposta da uma sensação de evolução que termina com vontade de escutar tudo denovo, destaque para o fim com magic city, fire flies,one placement e souk eye, todas essas musicas tem potencial para finalizar o álbum, mas elas estando juntas da um efeito que é simplesmente perfeito.
    - Não da para não deixar de lado o fato que todas as musicas não tem o teor tão experimental, assinatura do projeto gorillaz, isso também vai ser citado nos pontos negativos, mas não da dizer que isso é um grande acerto para conseguir agradar um grande publico. Mesmo isso mudando um pouco a proposta da banda, isso não interfere na experiencia final, pois mesmo que sim, não é tão experimental, da para sentir uma vibe bem gorillaz bem marcado, pelo menos para mim, foi uma forma bem interessante de ouvir um disco deles.
    - por ultimo aqui, queria destacar a mescla de ritmos e estilos musicais nesse disco funciona muito bem e não entrega a mesma experiencia de humanz, onde seu ponto alto era a variedade de estilos musicais, porem a mudança vinha de forma muito brusca, o que interferia um pouco na experiencia final do álbum.
    pontos negativos:
    - Mesmo que já citado acima como ponto positivo, o fato de não ter o toque experimental, tão marcante na banda pode influenciar o ouvinte que curte essa parte que sempre é uma marca da banda, mas como disse, Não deixa de ter o experimental, ele só esta bem ofuscado comparado a outros discos que fazem o uso dele muito bem, como plastic beach e humanz.
    - para algumas pessoas pode sentir que as músicas podem parecer parecidas umas com as outras, isso é um ponto que a primeiro momento me chamou atenção, mas depois de escutar o álbum mais vezes esse efeito ficou bem menor, não estragando a experiencia final.
    Considerações finais: o disco é quase perfeito erra em pontos, mas são mínimos visto que tudo funciona muito bem no final das contas, nao acho que consegue superar discos como demons days ou plastic beach, mas demonstra que gorillaz nunca vai ser a mesma coisa, visto que é uma proposta completamente diferente de humanz, o que para mim é sempre o ponto mais alto do projeto, esse disco consegue me emocionar de muitas formas e com certeza é um dos meus preferidos atualmente.    … Expand
  38. GorillazUnoffic
    Aug 21, 2022
    10
    Best album since Plastic Beach. Damon definitely got this album right and is way better than Humanz and Song Machine.

Awards & Rankings

39
#39 Most Discussed Album of 2018
11
#11 Most Shared Album of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
73

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. Under The Radar
    Jul 16, 2018
    65
    Even if The Now Now comes across as a solo effort from Albarn, it is still a far improvement on the bloated and playlist-y nature of Humanz which masked everything that is interesting about Gorillaz in its Jumbotron collaborators. Albarn is at his most interesting when he is in the spotlight.
    Read full review
  2. Boston Globe
    Jul 5, 2018
    60
    How much Gorillaz fans enjoy The Now Now will depend on why they became fans in the first place. Anyone captivated by Hewlett’s world-building will probably feel a little let down, as will those who fell for their eclectic, big-tent approach to pop. That leaves the Damon Albarn diehards.
    Read full review
  3. Sputnikmusic
    Jul 5, 2018
    82
    The Now Now feels shockingly complete.
    Read full review
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