Gorillaz is the first of its kind in the music world: a virtual band with cartoon characters portraying the members rather than the members themselves. 

Musician Damon Albarn, known for his work with the band Blur, and artist Jamie Hewlett, known for the comic franchise Tank Girl, created Gorillaz in 1998 and received immediate success. Their sound was a fusion of genres: hip-hop, rock, art pop, electronica, reggae, and even orchestral. The band took a long hiatus from 2012, but returned in 2017 with their album, “Humanz,” and redefined their sound to mirror contemporary pop, which is currently dominating the radio music scene. A few additional albums later, Gorillaz released “Cracker Island” on Feb. 24, 2023 — this time with a new sound all over again. 

“It is very modern in sound, especially with all the collaborations; that is something I really like about it. Gorillaz always works with artists that have a completely different style and they always make it work out. What gets me really excited is their collaboration with Del the Funky Homosapien, (he was featured on their earlier albums over a decade ago), and when Gorillaz shines light on Del’s work today, it reminds people [that] their work and talent is alive. Gorillaz is very good at working with other artists and that is what ‘Cracker Island’ really shows,” Mya Torres, junior, said. 

“Cracker Island” could be categorized as a dance album with funk and synth-pop fusion. The production is much more electronic than the group’s previous albums, with noticeably fewer physical instruments used in the tracks’ instrumentals. With Gorillaz being known for their wide range of featured artists, popular bassist Thundercat and Puerto-Rican rapper Bad Bunny are among the names making an appearance on the newest album. Tame Impala and Bootie Brown compliment the chart-topping single “New Gold,” and longtime Gorillaz collaborator Del The Funky Homosapien (known for the tracks off Gorillaz’s self-titled debut album, “Clint Eastwood” and “Rock the House”) returns for the track “Captain Chicken.” Notably, their track, “Crocadillaz,” features the hip-hop group De La Soul and is one of the last performances for late member David Jolicoeur, who died two weeks before the album’s release. 

“For me personally, I did not think there were many memorable tracks, and ‘Cracker Island’ was a bit of a disappointment. I prefer older Gorillaz; the most recent song I liked from them was probably ‘Saturnz Barz’ from 2017. I think that anything after that just changed too much from how they were before,” Jonas Squires, junior, said. 

The album has received mostly positive reviews, receiving an 80 percent rating from the user-reviewed website Metacritic, and an 8/10 score from The Guardian. Rolling Stones’ headline calls “Cracker Island” Gorillaz’s “most purely pleasurable LP yet.” Online music publication website Pitchfork posted a modest 6.5/10 score for the album, while Slant Magazine had a mixed 2.5/5 review, calling it a “misfire” from Gorillaz. Despite what some reviews may say, the album has topped music charts around the world, reaching #1 in the United Kingdom and #3 in the United States album chart Billboard 200. 

“I would not say I am ambivalent about [topping UK charts], but it is just a number, is it not? There have been a lot of bad number one albums, to be honest. I have always valued my creative freedom above monetary gain,” Damon Albarn said in an interview with Radio X. 

After a career that has spanned over 24 years, Gorillaz shows no signs of stopping as they win numerous awards and gather generations of fans new and old. Beyond “Cracker Island,” one can only wonder if Gorillaz will eventually go back to the roots that made them popular or continue to redefine their sound. The new album is now available on streaming services worldwide.