Ranking the Best Gorillaz Albums

Recently, I have been obsessed with the band Gorillaz. I have listened to almost their entire discography, except “Laika Come Home” and “D-Sides,” which include remixes of previously created songs and B-sides. 

From album to album, they all have very different sounds and themes to go along with the “phases” the animated band members are in. Currently, there are 10 albums. There is also another coming out on March 20, 2026 called “The Manifesto.”

My personal favorite Gorillaz album is “Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez.” This is their ninth album and it came out in 2020.  I love it. 

I think that the overall upbeat sound mixed with melancholic lyrics make for a very interesting style overall. This album continues to use Gorillaz’ typical genres like hip-hop and alternative rock. However, it is also one of their most pop-heavy ones. Because of this, many new collaborators are featured. Some of these include Beck, Elton John and Robert Smith.

In contrast to these sounds, the lyrics detail things such as missing someone and feeling lost. Songs like “The Valley of The Pagans” and “Pac-Man” include ironic lyrics such as “No stressin’ out, no stressin’ out,” and “It feels so good to have a perfect soul. It feels so good to be in total control,” that directly contrast with the true meanings of the tracks. 

The feel-good sounds mixed with concerning lyrics are why this album is my favorite. I think that everything goes together incredibly well and all of the songs come together to make a wonderful album. 

My second favorite album is “Demon Days.” This came out in 2005 and is their second original album. It is also one of their most known albums, and includes some of the songs that made them famous, including “Feel Good Inc.,” “DARE” and “Dirty Harry.” 

The tracks reflect Gorillaz’ older music style, including much more hip-hop than the previous album. Some featured artists are MF DOOM, De La Soul and Bootie Brown. 

It is also one of their more political albums, with themes such as kids being sent to war and artificially-made happiness.
I love the songs because of their experimental and all-around darker feel to them. They really do sound like tracks one would hear if one lived in a dystopian world, which is what many of the lyrics describe. These songs also utilize a wide variety of samples, which is what Gorillaz is known for in their early music. This album is one of my top favorites because of its catchy beats, realistic lyrics and grunge-like style. 

My third favorite Gorillaz album is “Plastic Beach,” their sixth album, made in 2010. This is also one of the most well-loved albums within the band’s fanbase. Consisting of more upbeat, pop songs, it is similar to “Song Machine,” which is why it is in my top three. 

These tracks combine themes of love with climate change and pollution to create a very unique style. Songs like “Rhinestone Eyes,” “On Melancholy Hill” and “To Binge” cover ideas of the different aspects of being in love. The lyrics “I’ll wait to be forgiven, maybe I never will” and “So let’s set out to sea, love. ‘Cause you are my medicine. When you’re close to me” reflect this.

Additionally, lyrics like “Aluminum, I crush your fun. Aluminum. The sea is radioactive” and “It’s styrofoam deep sea landfill” describe the pollution aspect of the album. Altogether, this album is in my top three because of the sound of each song. Every song comes together to create an amazing, cohesive work of art that I love. 

To finish my top five album list, my fourth favorite of theirs is “Humanz” and my fifth favorite is “Gorillaz.” “Humanz” is Gorillaz’ seventh album and it came out in 2017. “Gorillaz” is their debut album, which came out in 2000. While being very far apart from “Gorillaz,” “Humanz” continues to embrace the band’s hip-hop influence. 

This is one of their least popular albums, but I personally really enjoy it. With featured artists such as De La Soul, Kali Uchis and Vince Staples, the album makes listeners feel like they are dancing in a club. The songs are upbeat and fast-paced, which makes them great for listening to them in the car. That is why I love the album so much. 

For “Gorillaz” being the band’s first album, it is an amazing one. This set up their signature sound, and the influence is very noticeable in their later music. There are also multiple tracks on this album that have become some of my all-time favorites of theirs. These include “5/4,” “Tomorrow Comes Today,” “Clint Eastwood,” “19-2000” and “Rock the House.”  These songs are very reminiscent of the band’s “Demon Days” album, because of how close in time they are. 

As a whole, these albums make up my top five because of how great they all are. While their sounds vary from each one, they really stick out as Gorillaz’ best works. The beats are catchy, the lyrics are moving and the sounds come together in each album to create very cohesive works. Being an avid listener, these are the ones that I will play multiple times over and never get bored of the songs. While the rest of Gorillaz’ music is also wonderful, these albums are definitely the most notable and I highly recommend them to anyone wanting new, unique music.