New Gorillaz, New Style ? Jamie Hewlett previews New Gorillaz Artwork

Just recently, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett announced that their highly successful virtual band Gorillaz will be releasing a new album in 2016. Much to the delight of their fans, the duo announced that they have been actively working on recording a new Gorillaz album which is scheduled for release next year, although no teasers or musical tracks have yet to be released. 

The band has always emphasised the visual and aesthetically side of their music, preferring to animate rather than use traditional people to feature in their live shows as well as music videos. 

But what will the new Gorillaz look like? Jamie Hewlett, cartoonist and co-creator of the band Gorillaz has been posting teasers of the 'new' Gorillaz up on his Instagram throughout the past few weeks. 

Despite these previews, the question of what the new Gorillaz will look, feel and sound like still remains unclear. Until further news, it still remains a mystery to the fans.

Damon Albarn confirmed to be working on New Gorillaz Album- 2015

Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett who formed the biggest virtual band in the last decade in 1998 have been hinting at new music throughout 2015. Now, Jamie Hewlett has confirmed that the pair are actually in the process of working and actively recording a new Gorillaz album, which is scheduled to a 2016 release.

Jamie Hewlett, who is behind the group’s iconic animations, was recently quoted as saying he had been “shutting himself away” to work on Gorillaz’s fifth album.

“I’m working on it at the moment, and it’s going very well,” he said. “I’m very excited. I don’t want to say too much about it, but I’m at that phase of experimentation. What I try not to do when I’m working in this creative period, the cooking of the mess, is go to other peoples’ exhibitions and look at other peoples’ work".

"I close my eyes, and don’t want to know what anyone else is doing. Doing that has kind of ruined the creative process for me in the past, and I don’t want to let that happen again" he also added.

“That’s next year," he told DIY Mag of the Gorillaz project in a new interview to promote his first art exhibition in London. "I’m working on it at the moment, and it’s going very well. I’m very excited." It's been four years since the group's last release, 2011's The Fall.

So what about the new Gorillaz artwork? Will it be an entirely different style from the old Gorillaz, or will it be similar to the last album's style?

"I don’t want to say too much about it, but I’m at that phase of experimentation," Hewlett said. He also added that he has been posting teasers of the new fictional "members" of Gorillaz on Instagram throughout the year.

Whatever the style of the new Gorillaz, this is absolutely fantastic news for Gorillaz fans, who will be able to look forward to a new world tour and album from one of the most recognised and popular virtual bands of our time.

Damon Albarn Getting Ready for New Gorillaz Album Recording

After Jamie Hewlett launched the 2015 2D versions of Murdoc, Noodle and Russel on Instagram  it immediately started speculations that Gorillaz is going to release a new album.

And lo and behold, Damon Albarn, who is in tour with his other band Blur, confirmed that they are definitely gearing up for a Gorillaz new album.

While in Australia for his tour, Albarn revealed to ABC News that they are actually preparing for the recording, which will most likely going to happen next month.

"I'm starting recording in September for a new Gorillaz record," Albarn admitted. "I've just been really, really busy so I haven't had a chance."

Moreover, Albarn is very excited to go back in the studio and work on new music for Gorillaz.

"I'd love to just get back in to that routine of being at home and coming to the studio five days a week."

He however did not mention about the new album's release date, but there are speculations claiming that it will most likely going to happen next year.

In addition to the new Gorillaz album, Damon Albarn also talked about his other band, Blur.

"I would imagine there's some kind of future, but at the moment there's no time for the future - only the present," he said of Blur's future in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald. "Who knows? I'm reluctant to say anything [about Blur], because if I do, it just gets taken out of context and then I'm accused of being a wind-up."

And while the new Gorillaz album has been well thought of, Albarn confessed that Blur's "The Magic Whip" album on the other hand was made spontaneously after the band took a break.

"It was very easy because we did it over a period of five days in Hong Kong," Albarn said.

"And we didn't tell anyone, didn't have any sort of agenda really, we just jammed.

"So it was a very pleasurable and fluid session."