Humanz

Gorillaz - Humanz
Critic Score
Based on 43 reviews
2017 Ratings: #308 / 940
User Score
2017 Rank: #807
Liked by 207 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
Evening Standard

It’s hard to imagine how he’ll turn this army of performers into a coherent live spectacle at Gorillaz’ own festival in Margate this summer, but as a headphone record Humanz is a dazzling experience.

90
Northern Transmissions
With more side-projects than most can keep track of, Gorillaz has still been his most consistently intriguing project and this latest collaborator filled record is no disappointment. Leaning heavily on the pop and hip hop side of project, he pulls some of the best names and infuses them in his great and fearless writing for a record that will grow on listeners with every listen.
90
Albumism

Humanz is a filling work, but it doesn't leave its participants and listeners feeling stuffed. Instead, it keeps us wanting more of its humorous, prudent, and post-modern pop hijinks. You know, musical anarchy and hedonism, what Gorillaz do best in times of need.

85
Paste

The most vibrant, consistently engaging Gorillaz album yet.

80
The Arts Desk

Humanz has a few cuts that aren’t initially persuasive but, happily, the balance tips in favour of wildly inventive leftfield pop.

80
The Independent

Though by no means as complete and satisfying as Demon Days or Plastic Beach, there are enough intriguing moments to make Humanz a worthy addition to Gorillaz’s cartoon universe.

80
GIGsoup
Blur frontman Damon Albarn once again gathers up another exciting and eclectic roster of talent and meshes them with his usual lazy flair for melodies into a multicultural moshpit that oozes evermore so with melancholy and mania.
80
The Telegraph

Humanz is a giddy celebration of unity in difference, the sound of eccentrics, weirdos, outsiders and freaks partying together in defiance of convention. It is music where anything goes, as long as it’s got a groove and a heart.

80
Mojo

A boundlessly inventive and occasionally quite bonkers record that draws heavily on the input of its myriad guests.

80
The Guardian

As usual, he displays exquisite taste in collaborators ... and an impressive ability to get the best out of them by throwing them into unlikely circumstances ... On the downside, it seems a little light on hooks, as if the business of experimenting with production and the excitement of juxtaposing incongruous musical bedfellows took precedence over writing hits.

80
Clash

They have created their most youthful album yet; a vibrant record which paints a picture of the near future so vivid it seems convincingly real.

80
Spill Magazine

All in all, Humanz is a record that proves that Gorillaz are as strong as ever even after their absence from the music world. It’s an assertive and groovy collection of songs that takes you on a journey through the world that Gorillaz have created with their artistry.

80
Exclaim!

Humanz might just be Albarn's greatest achievement yet with Gorillaz. Although it lacks the kind of Apple-friendly jingles that have made them such a smash, it makes up for it with palatably overarching political themes and sequencing that gives it the wildly entertaining feel of a circus show.

80
The Skinny

This is intelligent party music, but it’s also headphone listening.

80
DIY

Gorillaz’s new album sees the characters handing over the reigns to the humans, and creating their biggest, most political statement yet, via the mouthpiece of some of the music world’s most vital voices. 

80
Record Collector

Humanz’s flaw is what gives it its energy: like the scattered flashes of (mis) information flying out from every handheld and household device, the album throws it all at you in one gloriously delirious barrage that has no real anchor. Richly energised and energising, it’s not only infectious for the listener.

80
Mixmag
If you’re new to the zoo, prepare for a 20-track musical trip you won’t forget in a hurry.
80
NME

The lawless, world-altering scenario ‘Humanz’ presents us with is not a poorly attended inauguration but a massive, cross-genre party, composed largely on an iPad by Albarn and illustrated by his mate Jamie Hewlett.

80
Q Magazine

What Humanz lacks in memorable hooks, it makes up for in fist-clenching spirit--and We Got The Power sums that up best.

80
The Irish Times

Albarn's fondness for melancholy and melody means each track packs a punch with both its hook and its general demeanour, but these are aligned to sound clashes from disco to dancehall.

76
Sputnikmusic

For every dumb interlude or misjudged feature or weak beat, there are at least two moments of genuine brilliance here.

75
Pretty Much Amazing

Humanz, Damon’s fourth record as Gorillaz, is not his best, but it didn’t need to be. It’s a comeback record that’s less immediate and sugary than Plastic Beach, less iconic than the self-titled or Demon Days.

75
Spectrum Culture

This is a different kind of Gorillaz record, and it’s likely to be a grower if only because most fans will find certain expectations quickly shattered.

75
A.V. Club

The tracks are all good—they are all “fun”—but there’s a manic intensity to it that doesn’t add up.

70
Uncut
A listener might be impressed by the scale of the experience, but ultimately there is something missing--intimacy?--missing.
70
The Sydney Morning Herald

The takeaway from Humanz is not that the record is poor: there are loads of good tracks here. But rather that while it may purport to have a cohesive story, this is an album enjoyed more in individual tracks than in combination.

70
XS Noize

All though Humanz is filled with its many intros and interludes I believe it has too many collaborations going on and that Albarn should produce what he knows he can do on his own by providing an album with his own voice and only a few collab songs.

70
Loud and Quiet

‘Humanz’ is largely an impressive showcase of how Albarn’s eclectic tastes are something he’s more than capable of harnessing and tying together with intelligence and nuance.

70
Rolling Stone

This mix-and-match mob is never dull, but it yields magic just intermittently. When it does, however, it's something to behold.

70
Resident Advisor

The lyrics on Humanz might be Gorillaz's darkest, but the album has lots of bright music. Albarn says he thought of it as a party mixtape, which translates on Humanz via dayglo synths, rubbery basslines and catchy hooks.

70
AllMusic

Even with its heavy, heavy R&B vibe and roiling politics, Humanz feels strangely uplifting, as if every musician who entered the studio found solace in the act of creation.

70
PopMatters

Humanz is another strong entry in Albarn’s lengthy and brilliant catalog. At its best, it doubles down on what Albarn has done right all along while also pointing in new directions he can go.

70
musicOMH

With so many talented people involved, Humanz was always going to have its moments, and it is undoubtedly an engaging, intriguing and bold record. Yet when compared to Demon Days or Plastic Beach, one cannot help but feel just a little underwhelmed by the songs here.

70
Drowned in Sound

Humanz is good, because Gorillaz are good, and it distinguishes itself by probably being the band’s most party-orientated record, which is great. But ultimately it feel like Gorillaz are now more curators than provocateurs, locked into a classy, comfortable groove.

69
Pitchfork

Humanz mostly feels like a playlist as a result, with each song acting as a self-contained referendum on how this particular guest fares in Gorillaz World.

67
Consequence of Sound

With a bit more focus, Humanz could have been an essential part of Gorillaz’s narrative. Instead, it’s a scatterbrained frenzy of emotion — which is what’s to be expected of anything immersing itself in the chaotic, logic-free nonsense of the world post-election.

65
Under the Radar

While Humanz is the biggest departure Gorillaz has yet attempted, it is also their biggest grower.

60
Crack Magazine

Humanz is a chaotic experience – a rollercoaster of booming highs and some pretty awkward lows.

60
NOW Magazine

It weaves together reggae, soul, hip-hop, house and pop as if to push back against the self-centeredness of American politics under President Trump. Unfortunately, few songs truly stand out.

60
The Observer

As ever ... the achievement of this album lies in Albarn marshalling an array of talents, and hauling the mainstream to a stranger place for a little while.

60
The Young Folks

Humanz is by no means a bad album, it’s definitely fascinating to hear Gorillaz become so separated from their own music. But that’s the trick of Gorillaz, seeing how far their non-existence can go.

60
Slant Magazine

Albarn effectively weaves together his guests' ostensibly disparate styles.

50
The Needle Drop

Humanz has its share of strong performances and musical highlights, but all too often its guests are misplaced or poorly utilized and the songwriting/production just isn't up to the Gorillaz standard.

PipePanic
75

While there really isn't enough Gorillaz on this Gorillaz album, there is some interesting ideas and fun sounds at play here, feeling more like the worlds darkest party banger album then the comeback many were expecting.

Favorite jams: Momentz, Charger, Ascension

Lest Favorite: Sex Murder Party

plankocean
35

This album is gonna fucking suck lol

Edit: meh.

Edit 2: Yeah I was right

PcPowerUp
100

Revisiting this incredible work of art after seeing the equally incredible "Reject False Icon" documentary. This was the first ever album I was "hyped" for. I have nothing but nostalgia for this album. It takes me back to a simpler time when I was just a teenager making youtube videos and stupid joke songs with my friends. This album may be technically flawed and not every song is a banger but this record is just too perfect for ME to give less than a 100. It means so much ... read more

60

Humanz has some great songs in Andromeda, Saturn barz, Momentz, Busted and blue and She's my collar, the rest is very mid or just straight up bad and doesn't sound like l Gorillaz. I did like the idea of the interludes and how some of them like Elevator going up can be played before other songs and still work

Beatlesfan
70

Geese are not humanz they are gods.

Koman67
40

There were some good songs. I didn't like this one.

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Added on: March 23, 2017