Letter from the Editor: The Blur Cover Story

Blur never seems to intentionally reunite for a new album. Every 10 years or so, they make some plans to get together for a handful of shows, and suddenly they find themselves in the studio again. Something draws Damon Albarn to write songs that only his Blur band mates — Graham Coxon, Alex James, and Dave Rowntree — can match. This happened again Darren’s songand why obliterate the eighth edition of a result Cut cover.

Call it a state the more things change, the more they stay the same. In our exclusive interview from journalist Charlotte Gunn, Albarn details how different his world has been, not only since Blur’s inception, but the last time they put out an LP (2015’s) The magic whip). He was no longer based in London, having left for his full-time home, and his musical refuge under Westway, Studio 13, was no longer under his sole control. He lost heroes and collaborators, and even his relationship with America had, in his words, “matured, to say the least.”

All the while, his standing with the younger generation of fans has only grown through the success of Gorillaz. However, he still found his way back to Blur. This is the group’s charm Darren’s song: No matter Albarn’s many side projects or solos, there’s a chemistry with his original band that means they’re always able to create something great again – no matter how long the “crazy gap” between albums is.

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So it may have been the initial intention of the songs that became Darren’s song It was not a hazy record. Once Albarn, Coxon, James and Rowntree are in a room together again, it can’t be anything else. Read about why in Blur: The Ballad of Damon, and check out the cover story work below.

– Ben Kay
managing editor