''Meanwhile EP'' is an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

by English virtual band Gorillaz, released on 26 August 2021. The EP was released as a celebration of Notting Hill Carnival in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England, an annual event that was canceled in 2021 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

Background

On 29 June 2021, Damon Albarn revealed in an interview with

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

that Gorillaz was working on new "carnival-themed music", saying that their upcoming record would return to the band's roots. On 10 August 2021, Gorillaz debuted three new songs, "Meanwhile" (featuring British rapper Jelani Blackman), "Jimmy Jimmy" (featuring British rapper

AJ Tracey Ché Wolton Grant (born 4 March 1994), known professionally as AJ Tracey, is a British rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is from Ladbroke Grove, West London. Tracey rose to popularity in 2016 and was listed by ''The Guardian'' i ...

), and "Déjà Vu" (featuring Jamaican singer Alicaì Harley), during a free concert at The O₂ Arena in London, England exclusively for

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

employees and their families. They then performed them again at the subsequent concert open to the public the next day (both of which served as the first live audience concerts of the Song Machine Tour).

Track listing

All tracks are written by Damon Albarn,

Remi Kabaka Jr. Remi Kabaka Jr. (born 11 April 1970) is a British record producer, art director, percussionist and voice actor best known as the drummer and producer for British virtual band Gorillaz. He became a music producer for the band in 2015 after severa ...

, and the tracks' respective guest(s).

Personnel

Gorillaz * Damon Albarn – vocals, production , bass, keyboards ,

steelpan The steelpan (also known as a pan, steel drum, and sometimes, collectively with other musicians, as a steelband or steel orchestra) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. Descriptio ...

s , guitar,

melodica The melodica is a handheld free-reed instrument similar to a pump organ or harmonica. It features a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. The keyboard usua ...

Jamie Hewlett Jamie Christopher Hewlett (born 3 April 1968) is an English comic book creator, illustrator, music video director, and songwriter. He is the co-creator of the comic book '' Tank Girl'' with Alan Martin and co-creator of the virtual band Gorilla ...

– artwork, design * Stephen Sedgwick – mixing *

– production, percussion , drum programming * John Davis – mastering * Samuel Egglenton – engineering * Femi Koleoso – drums * Mike Smith – keyboards *

Jeff Wootton Jeffrey Wootton (born 12 May 1987) is an English musician, guitarist and songwriter from Manchester. He has been the lead guitarist in the Gorillaz since 2010. A long time collaborator with Damon Albarn, he has also collaborated with Brian Eno, ...

– guitar * Jesse Hackett – keyboards * Karl Vanden Bossche – percussion * Seye Adelekan – bass Additional musicians * Jelani Blackman – vocals *

Barrington Levy Barrington Ainsworth Levy (born 30 April 1964) is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist. Career Levy was born in Clarendon, Jamaica. He formed a band called the Mighty Multitude, with his cousin, Everton Dacres; the pair released "My Bl ...

– vocals *

Jorja Smith Jorja Alice Smith (born 11 June 1997) is an English singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Walsall, West Midlands, she has been writing songs since the age of 11. In 2012, Smith's friend uploaded her cover of Labrinth's "Earthquake" to YouTube, ...

– additional vocals * Isabelle Dunn – cello * Nina Foster – violin * Oli Langford – violin * Sarah Tuke – violin *

– vocals * Alicaì Harley – vocals * Ade Omotayo – additional vocals * Angel Silvera – additional vocals * Matt Maijah – additional vocals * Michelle Ndegwa – additional vocals * Petra Luke – additional vocals * Rebecca Freckleton – additional vocals Additional technical * Alicaì Harley – programming * Dave Guerin – engineering * Matt Butcher – engineering, mixing

References

{{Gorillaz 2021 EPs Gorillaz albums Albums produced by Damon Albarn Albums recorded at Studio 13 Parlophone EPs Warner Records EPs