Editing Gorillaz (section)

===''The Now Now'' (2018–2019)===
Albarn continued recording while on the road during the Humanz Tour, and mentioned in an interview with ''[[Q Magazine]]'' in September 2017 that he was planning on releasing the material as a future Gorillaz album. Comparing the production of the album to ''The Fall'', which was also recorded while the band was on tour, Albarn mentioned that "It will be a more complete record than ''The Fall'', but hopefully have that spontaneity."<ref name="mixmag.net">{{cite web|title=The Gorillaz might drop a surprise album on us|url=http://mixmag.net/read/the-gorillaz-might-drop-a-surprise-new-album-on-us-news|website=Mixmag|access-date=20 December 2017|archive-date=16 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616114157/http://mixmag.net/read/the-gorillaz-might-drop-a-surprise-new-album-on-us-news|url-status=live|author-first1=Valerie|author-last1=Lee|date=29 September 2017}}</ref> Albarn signaled his desire to complete and release the album quickly, adding that "I really like the idea of making new music and playing it live almost simultaneously" and "If we're going to do more Gorillaz we don't want to wait seven years because, y'know, we're getting on a bit now.<ref name="mixmag.net"/> During a September 2017 concert in Seattle, the band debuted a new song "Ode to Idaho", which was later included on the album as "Idaho". During the performance, Albarn stated it had been written in the days prior.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Blanchard |first1=Nicole |title=Jam to a new ode to Idaho, thanks to this Grammy-winning band — and Bruce Willis |url=https://www.idahostatesman.com/entertainment/article176791296.html |access-date=16 October 2023 |work=[[Idaho Statesman]] |publisher=[[The McClatchy Company]] |date=4 October 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231016150148/https://www.idahostatesman.com/entertainment/article176791296.html |archive-date=16 October 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

During a break in the Humanz Tour in February 2018, Albarn returned to London where he worked with producer [[James Ford (musician)|James Ford]], known for his work with [[Arctic Monkeys]] and [[Florence and the Machine]], and Kabaka Jr. to finish the newly written material, resulting in the band's sixth studio album, ''[[The Now Now]]'', released on 29 June 2018. Featuring "simple, mostly upbeat songs" and 1980s [[new wave music|new wave]] influences,<ref name="allmusic.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-now-now-mw0003183127|title=The Now Now – Gorillaz|last=Thomas Erlewine|first=Stephen|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-date=29 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629183107/https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-now-now-mw0003183127|url-status=live}}</ref> the album was noted for its distinctly small list of featured artists compared to previous Gorillaz work, with only two tracks featuring any outside artists (the album's lead single "[[Humility (song)|Humility]]" featuring [[George Benson]] and "[[Hollywood (Gorillaz song)|Hollywood]]" featuring Snoop Dogg and [[Jamie Principle]]). Albarn mentioned that the few numbers of featured artists was partially due to the album's quick production, which in turn was a result of Albarn wanting to finish the album before the band's touring schedule resumed: "We've been very lucky to be offered all the festivals this year on the back of the last record [''Humanz'']... but I didn't want to do that unless I had something new to work with, so the only option was to make another record really quickly and not have lots of guests on it, because that takes a long time to organize; just do it all myself, really."<ref>{{cite interview|last=Albarn|first=Damon|subject-link=Damon Albarn|interviewer=[[Gordon Smart]]|title=Why Damon Albarn Shunned A Collaboration With Prince|url=https://www.radiox.co.uk/artists/gorillaz/damon-albarn-shunned-prince-collaboration|access-date=11 June 2018|publisher=Radio X|location=London|date=31 May 2018|quote=We've been very lucky to be offered all the festivals this year on the back of the last record&nbsp;... but I didn't want to do that unless I had something new to work with, so the only option was to make another record really quickly and not have lots of guests on it, because that takes a long time to organise; just do it all myself, really.|archive-date=31 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731080213/https://www.radiox.co.uk/artists/gorillaz/damon-albarn-shunned-prince-collaboration/|url-status=live}}</ref> Albarn also explained that with ''The Now Now'' he sought to make a Gorillaz album "where I'm just singing for once" and that the album is "pretty much just me singing, very sort of in the world of [[2-D (character)|2-D]]."<ref>{{cite news|last=Serota|first=Maggie|date=31 May 2018|title=Gorillaz {{em dash}} "Humility" and "Lake Zurich"|work=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|url=https://www.spin.com/2018/05/gorillaz-humility-and-lake-zurich/|access-date=1 June 2018|archive-date=12 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142830/https://www.spin.com/2018/05/gorillaz-humility-and-lake-zurich/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Gorillaz @ Barclays Center, Brooklyn, 10-13-2018.jpg|thumb|right|Gorillaz performing at [[Barclays Center]], New York City on [[The Now Now Tour]] in October 2018]] In the fictional Gorillaz storyline, the band introduced [[Ace (The Powerpuff Girls)|Ace]] from [[Cartoon Network]]'s animated series ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]'' as a temporary bassist of the band during ''The Now Now'' album cycle, filling in for the imprisoned Murdoc Niccals.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/the-gorillaz-ace-powerpuff-girls/|title=The Gorillaz's New Band Member is a Powerpuff Girls Character|date=31 May 2018|website=Cbr.com|access-date=29 June 2018|archive-date=1 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801042230/https://www.cbr.com/the-gorillaz-ace-powerpuff-girls/|url-status=live}}</ref> Explaining the crossover in an interview with the BBC, Albarn said "We were massive fans of ''The Powerpuff Girls'' when they came out, the energy of that cartoon was really cool, and we kind of know the creator of it ([[Craig McCracken]]). It was a very organic thing."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mt0hELiP4g |title=Damon Albarn interview with Matt Everitt – BBC Radio 6, 2018 – YouTube |website=YouTube |access-date=16 July 2020 |archive-date=4 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904013328/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mt0hELiP4g&gl=US&hl=en |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The band's remaining 2018 live dates were billed as [[The Now Now Tour]] to support the album, and included a performance in Tokyo on 22 June 2018 billed as "The Now Now World Premiere" in which the band played the full album live for the first and only time, a performance which was later broadcast by [[Boiler Room (music project)|Boiler Room]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://boilerroom.tv/session/gorillaz|title=Gorillaz|website=Boilerroom.tv|access-date=23 October 2020|archive-date=9 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109024502/https://boilerroom.tv/session/gorillaz|url-status=live}}</ref> On 16 December 2019, the documentary ''Gorillaz: Reject False Icons'' was screened worldwide on a one-day theatrical release. Filmed and directed by Hewlett's son Denholm, the documentary showcases a behind-the-scenes look at the production of ''Humanz'' and ''The Now Now'' as well as the album's associated tours.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Strauss |first1=Matthew |title=Gorillaz Announce New Movie Reject False Icons |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/gorillaz-announce-new-movie-reject-false-icons/ |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |access-date=21 November 2019 |date=21 November 2019 |archive-date=22 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122193936/https://pitchfork.com/news/gorillaz-announce-new-movie-reject-false-icons/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="clash">{{cite web |author1=Clash Music |title=Five Things We Learned From New Gorillaz Film Reject False Icons |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/features/five-things-we-learned-from-new-gorillaz-film-reject-false-icons |work=[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]] |access-date=16 December 2019 |date=16 December 2019 |archive-date=16 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216124241/https://www.clashmusic.com/features/five-things-we-learned-from-new-gorillaz-film-reject-false-icons |url-status=live }}</ref> One week after the film's theatrical release, a "Director's Cut" version of the film featuring additional footage was released on the official Gorillaz YouTube channel in three parts. In the credits for ''Reject False Icons'', Kabaka Jr. was listed as an official member of the band (labeled as "A&R/Producer") alongside Albarn and Hewlett for the first time.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vccKwyv4qxE| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/vccKwyv4qxE| archive-date=11 December 2021 | url-status=live|title=GORILLAZ: REJECT FALSE ICONS {{!}} Act One – Humanz (Director's Cut)|via=YouTube|publisher=Gorillaz|date=24 December 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWlP1MeRkN8| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/zWlP1MeRkN8| archive-date=11 December 2021 | url-status=live|title=GORILLAZ: REJECT FALSE ICONS {{!}} Act Two – Humanz World Tour (Director's Cut)|via=YouTube|publisher=Gorillaz|date=24 December 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGKgMuYKqf4|title=GORILLAZ: REJECT FALSE ICONS {{!}} Act Three – The Now Now (Director's Cut)|via=YouTube|publisher=Gorillaz|date=24 December 2019|access-date=24 December 2019|archive-date=25 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225024522/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGKgMuYKqf4|url-status=live}}</ref>