Adding to the splendour of their latest album, Cracker Island, Gorillaz have shared the new song ‘Crocadillaz’. Boasting the late De La Soul stalwart Trugoy the Dove and rocksteady vocalist Dawn Penn, the pair combine to create one of the Damon Albarn-led group’s best recent offerings.
The new cut is a heady reverberation that resoundingly conveys the optimism inherent to summer. The funky dynamics and lines such as “life is intoxicating, I need a beer”, affirm this, with Penn’s melodies floating in and out around Trugoy’s punchy verses. ‘Crocadillaz’ is featured on Cracker Island (Deluxe), the latest version of Gorillaz’s new album. Other new offerings include ‘Captain Chicken’, which features Del The Funky Homosapien and ‘Controllah’, which boasts MC Bin Laden.
One of the most notable aspects of the new song is that it could easily be an unearthed cut from their eponymous 2001 debut. The mesh of nostalgic dub and trip-hop influences combine to create a piece that swiftly whisks the listener away from the mundanity of their current settings. The looped beat, funk-steeped bassline and Penn’s warm vocal melodies interact with balmy personal experiences to provide an uplifting antidote to the feeling of stagnation that comes with winter’s end.
Trugoy the Dove passed away on February 12th, this year, aged 54. Notably, ‘Crocadillaz’ was not the first time he worked with Gorillaz. He won a Grammy for his performance on the band’s hit 2005 single ‘Feel Good Inc’. He then appeared on ‘Superfast Jellyfish’ from 2010’s Plastic Beach and ‘Momentz’ from 2017’s Humanz. His work on the new track serves as a posthumous reminder of his uncompromising brilliance, with his sharp lines punctuating the beat and elevating the piece through the surreal and comedic commentaries that made him and De La Soul such a cultural force.
De La Soul recently announced a celebration at New York City’s Webster Hall, ‘The D.A.I.S.Y. Experience’. Scheduled for March 2nd, the event is produced by Amazon Music and is organised as a tribute to both Truogy and De La Soul. To mark the occasion, it will feature artwork from their 1989 debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, and a DJ set from The Originals. The Amazon Music channel on Twitch will livestream the event, including interviews with special guests and friends of De La Soul.
