"Empire Ants" is a song by British

virtual band In entertainment, a virtual band (also called a virtual idol, virtual singer, virtual group, virtual artists, cartoon group, cartoon idol, cartoon singer or cartoon band) is a band or music group whose depicted members are not people, but animate ...

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett in London, England in 1998. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (gui ...

, released on their third studio album ''

Plastic Beach ''Plastic Beach'' is the third studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 3 March 2010 by Parlophone internationally and by Virgin Records in the United States. ''Plastic Beach'' evolved from an unfinished project entitled ' ...

''. It features guest vocals and instrumentation from

Yukimi Nagano Yukimi Eleanora Nagano (born 31 January 1982), sometimes known mononymously as Yukimi, is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She is the vocalist for the Swedish electronic group Little Dragon. Career Early career Nagano first made a record at t ...

, the vocalist of the trip hop band

Little Dragon Little Dragon are a Swedish electronic music band from Gothenburg, Sweden, formed in 1996. The band consists of Yukimi Nagano (vocals, percussion), Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrik Wallin (bass) and Håkan Wirenstrand (keyboards). Little Dragon's ...

Overview

Gorillaz frontman

Damon Albarn Damon Albarn (, ; born 23 March 1968) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the frontman, main vocalist, and lyricist of the rock band Blur (band), Blur and the co-creator and primary musical con ...

was first introduced to Little Dragon through his partner Suzi Winstanley, who was a fan of the band's music.

had not known of Gorillaz prior to collaborating, and was initially ambivalent towards the idea of collaboration; when Nagano's manager explained that Albarn was a member of English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band Blur, she expressed mild surprise that Albarn still made music. Nagano later explained: "I definitely wasn’t as charged as I perhaps might have been if I knew who they were. Everyone was telling me it was a big deal." Nagano and Albarn spent multiple days at Studio 13, Albarn's personal studio in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England; Nagano's vocal contributions to "Empire Ants" and "To Binge" were recorded during this time. Albarn played several instrumental tracks for Nagano, allowing her to choose which would be used for the collaboration. Nagano enjoyed collaborating with Albarn, praising both the diversity of the tracks and the organic nature of the recording process.

Personnel

– vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitars *

– vocals * Fredrik Walin – keyboards * Håkan Wirenstand – keyboards * Erik Bodin – drum programming *

Simon Tong Simon Tong (born 9 July 1972) is an English guitarist and keyboardist who was a member of the Verve between 1996 and 1999. He has played with Damon Albarn on tour with his bands Blur and Gorillaz, and as a member of the Good, the Bad & the Q ...

– guitar *

Howie Weinberg Howie Weinberg is an American audio mastering engineer. Over the course of his career, he has received over 2,257 mastering credits, three TEC Awards, 21 Grammy Awards, two Juno Awards, and one Mercury Prize. Career Weinberg mastered Herbie Ha ...

– mastering *Jason Cox – mixing, recording * Stephen Sedgwick – recording, programming

Reception

"Empire Ants" has received generally positive reviews.

BBC Music BBC Music is the arm of the BBC responsible for the music played across its services. The current director of music is Lorna Clarke. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio operational division; however, its remit also includes music used i ...

described the song as "a trickling ballad to rank alongside Blur’s best", and

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

characterized Little Dragon's contributions to ''Plastic Beach'' as "airy, elusive, and amazingly beautiful."

Live performances

"Empire Ants" was performed live throughout the

Escape to Plastic Beach Tour The Escape to Plastic Beach Tour was a concert tour by the British alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz in support of their third studio album ''Plastic Beach''. During the tour, Damon Albarn recorded '' The Fall'', described by Albarn as a " ...

. Both Nagano and Little Dragon bassist Fredrik Wallin toured alongside Gorillaz for the North American leg of the tour, with the remainder of Little Dragon joining on for the European and Oceanic legs. The song was also performed at Coachella 2010, an event which Nagano would later claim was a turning point for her as an artist. For the

Humanz Tour The Humanz Tour was a concert tour by the British alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz, in support of their fifth studio album ''Humanz''.Sources for shows in North America: * All except where noted: * 2nd San Francisco date: * Austin City ...

, Nagano reunited with Gorillaz to perform "Empire Ants" at the Outside Lands Music Festival in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

in 11 August 2017, her first performance of the song in nearly 7 years.

References

{{authority control Gorillaz songs Songs written by Damon Albarn 2010 songs Alternative dance songs Electro songs