Blur share new song ‘St. Charles’ Square’
British music royalty Blur have shared their new single ‘St. Charles’ Square’. The track is set to appear on their forthcoming album The Ballad Of Darren.
The new LP is Blur’s first since 2015’s The Magic Whip and arrives on July 21st. ‘St Charles’ Square’ is the second single to be released from the record following ‘The Narcissist’. Speaking about the new track with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, singer Damon Albarn said: “Well, I was just really relieved it went this way in the studio. I mean, I kind of in my demo, it sort of alluded to it, because of the chords that hold in the chorus. It’s got that chug to it. But Graham really went with that. And yeah, it’s got an amazing atmosphere.”
He added: “Everybody’s playing really well on that thing. Do you know what the whole thing has really felt like, we’re sort of somewhere in 1992, something like that, ’92, ’93. We’re just sort of back. I don’t know. And when we go on stage, that’s we’re where we start off really… I’ve always kind of felt like it’s not just about singing about yourself. You’ve got to kind of bring where you’re singing it and writing it with you.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Albarn also reflected upon reuniting Blur this year: “At the beginning, I really didn’t want anyone in the studio but Graham to start off with, but the other two kind of day one said, ‘No. We want to stay here if that’s all right.’ And they did. And do you know what? It was the best thing really. It was the best thing. It was just I suppose me just trying to get my head round kind of working with more people at once in a studio because I mean, a lot of the time, I just do it on my own really.”
Albarn continued: “The reward of everyone playing together is one I do acknowledge as being maybe the greatest. You got to keep it real. I’ve been playing with them since I was a kid. So to sort of be able to chart that ridiculous journey from being teenagers to being five years off 60 is quite… It’s a little bit odd but wonderful at the same time. It’s wonderful.”
The Ballad Of Darren was produced by James Ford, which Albarn thoroughly enjoyed. “The brilliant thing about James is that you feel like he’s part of the band and has always been part of the band and has always… He’s brilliant like that. He’s one of the best, I think,” he said of Ford.
Listen below to ‘St. Charles’ Square’.
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