Blur have shared a pair of bonus tracks from their comeback album, The Ballad of Darren, titled “The Rabbi” and “The Swan.” The songs appear on the deluxe edition of their first LP in eight years, which arrived just a few days ago.
Whereas “The Rabbi” speaks of being lost and wonders about “tomorrow’s heroes,” “The Swan” is more personal. On the latter track, Damon Albarn sings about always being there for someone even after a relationship is over with lyrics like, “Do you miss me now I’ve gone?/ Know that I will always be here/ Even though I have to let you go.” Stream both songs below.
Albarn spoke with Consequence about the making of The Ballad of Darren for our latest cover story. He called the project “the first legit [Blur] album since [1999’s] 13” due to the collaboration with guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James, and drummer Dave Rowntree that brought it all together.
The Ballad of Darren was preceded by the singles “St. Charles Square” and “The Narcissist.” In our review of the album, Associate Editor Paolo Ragusa described it as the band’s “statement of resilience and unbreakable respect towards one another.”
Blur are currently on their first tour since 2015; grab tickets here. Meanwhile, Albarn also revealed to Consequence that he has another opera in the works.