Nostalgic of the 90s and Britpop, British band Blur is back with new track ‘The Narcissist’, written by Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree, and produced by James Ford. The song is coupled with an official music video and anticipates their upcoming album The Ballad of Darren, which will be released on 21st July. Summer is about to start and this feels like the perfect song to accompany it, conveying a feeling of journey with its joyful melody.
The meaning of the song is unclear at first listen, despite the inspiration of the narcissist. This title figure looks in the mirror and sees “so many people standing there”. Albarn has declared that the upcoming album is “an aftershock record; reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now”. This can also be seen in this first single from the band: they think about themselves and their audience, the people standing in the mirror, and their experiences described as “the solstice”, “the acid”, the “service stations on the road” of the tour.
The narcissistic attitude of the song is reflected in the music too; between a ballad and a summer hit, the main vocals, by Albarn, look back on the band’s journey. The band is well aware of itself, and instruments are well distributed: the guitars are stronger in the anthemic chorus with riffs flowing throughout the single, and the drums build throughout the song, becoming more powerful towards the end.
Overall, this relaxing and simple soundscape is more reminiscent of a new indie rock single in style, than the typical output of an iconic band. This new sense of ease looks ahead to an exciting era of Blur.
Words by Miriam Viscusi