| The Ballad of Darren | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 21 July 2023 | |||
| Recorded | January – May 2023 | |||
| Studio | Studio 13, London & Devon | |||
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| Length | 36:04 | |||
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| Producer | James Ford | |||
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| Damon Albarn chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Ballad of Darren | ||||
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The Ballad of Darren is the ninth studio album by English rock band Blur. It was released on 21 July 2023 by Parlophone and Warner Records. The album's songs were written by frontman Damon Albarn in 2022 while on tour with Gorillaz, and composed by Albarn and the rest of the band. It was produced by James Ford at Studio 13 in London and Devon. It is Blur's first album since The Magic Whip (2015), and their shortest album, with a runtime under 40 minutes. The album's artwork features a 2004 photograph of a man swimming alone in the Gourock Outdoor Pool in Gourock, Scotland, taken by Martin Parr. Its title refers to Darren "Smoggy" Evans, the band's longtime bodyguard.
The Ballad of Darren was released to positive reviews. It became the band's seventh consecutive number one album debut in the UK. It also topped the charts in Belgium, Ireland, Scotland and Switzerland, and became the band's first US Top 10 album on the Top Album Sales chart, reaching #8. The album was promoted by the singles "The Narcissist", "St. Charles Square" and "Barbaric", as well as a global tour.