Gorillaz’ Release New Video For 'Hallelujah Money' Single

Gorillaz continue putting the finishing touches on the band’s long-awaited new album, but in the meantime, they’re giving fans a taste of what’s to come with their new single “Hallelujah Money,” a collaboration with singer-songwriter Benjamin Clementine whose official video is out now.
The clip, which you can watch via the above embed, puts Clementine front and center against a backdrop of rapidly intercut images that underscore the song’s sobering lyrical message — a not-at-all-veiled response to the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, whose inaugural ceremonies coincide with the song’s release.
“In these dark times, we all need someone to look up to. Me,” writes Gorillaz bassist Murdoc in the Facebook update that accompanied the single. “That’s why I’m giving you this new Gorillaz song, a lightning bolt of truth in a black night. You’re welcome. Now piss on! The new album’s not gonna write itself.”
Clementine, who won the 2016 Mercury Prize, handles the majority of the vocals, which are presented from the standpoint of a protagonist who believes love is the root of all evil and jealously guards a tree of money. “When you go to bed, scarecrows from the far east come to eat its tender fruits,” he sings. “And I thought the best way to perfect our tree / Was by building walls / Walls like unicorns / In full glory and galore / And even stronger than the walls of Jericho.”
“When the morning comes, we are still human,” responds Gorillaz co-founder Damon Albarn in the bridge. “How will we know? How will we dream? How will we love?”
While official details of the new Gorillaz LP remain scant, Albarn said they were “two weeks of recording” away from finishing it in October. The release of “Hallelujah Money” — the group’s first single in six years — would seem to indicate the rest of the record really isn’t far away.