The Ballad Of Darren (Blue vinyl)

To call The Ballad of Darren a breakup album would be to make assumptions about Albarn’s private life and long-term partnership with artist Suzi Winstanley – details he doesn’t offer up. But he does agree; this one’s personal.

There’s an overwhelming melancholy to much of the record. The first line we hear on opener “The Ballad” is engulfed in loss and longing, something that permeates each subsequent song. “I just looked into my life/ And all I saw was that you’re not coming back," Albarn sings in his distinct baritone, setting the tone for what’s to come. On “Barbaric,” he’s seemingly looking for answers: “And I would like if you’ve got the time/ To talk to you about what this breakup has done to me/ I have lost the feeling that I thought I’d never lose/ Now where am I going?” It all compounds into a monumentally sad album.

“Well that’s okay, because I’m a sad man,” he smiles, gold tooth twinkling. “It’s ironic, but I’m happy being sad.”

Melancholy has certainly seemed to cloak much of Albarn's work. From gut-wrenching Blur songs like "No Distance Left to Run" and "Tender" to side project The Good, the Bad & the Queen’s gloomy portraits of a post-Brexit England, sadness has been as much of a through-line as his observations on British culture and identity.