Meanwhile EP

Meanwhile EP is an extended play by English virtual band Gorillaz, released on 26 August 2021. The EP was released as a celebration of Notting Hill Carnival in London, England, an annual event that was cancelled in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[2]

Meanwhile EP
EP by Gorillaz
Released	26 August 2021
Genre	Reggae[1]
Length	9:53
Label	Parlophone Warner
Producer	Gorillaz Remi Kabaka Jr.
Gorillaz chronology
Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez (2020) Meanwhile EP (2021) Cracker Island (2023)
Damon Albarn chronology
Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez (2020) Meanwhile EP (2021) The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows (2021)

Background

On 29 June 2021, Damon Albarn revealed in an interview with NME that Gorillaz was working on new "carnival-themed music", saying that their upcoming record would return to the band's roots.^[3]

On 10 August 2021, Gorillaz debuted three new songs, "Meanwhile" (featuring British rapper Jelani Blackman), "Jimmy Jimmy" (featuring British rapper AJ Tracey), and "Déjà Vu" (featuring Jamaican singer Alicaì Harley), during a free concert at The O₂ Arena in London, England exclusively for National Health Service 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).^[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Damon Albarn, Remi Kabaka Jr., and the tracks' respective guest(s).

Meanwhile – Standard edition

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Meanwhile" (featuring Jelani Blackman and Barrington Levy)	3:09
2.	"Jimmy Jimmy" (featuring AJ Tracey)	3:03
3.	"Déjà Vu" (featuring Alicaì Harley) (Live from NW10)	3:41
Total length:		9:53

Personnel

Gorillaz Damon Albarn – vocals, production (all tracks), bass, keyboards (tracks 1–2), steelpans (track 1), guitar, melodica (track 2) Jamie Hewlett – artwork, design Stephen Sedgwick – mixing (tracks 1–2) Remi Kabaka Jr. – production, percussion (all tracks), drum programming (tracks 1–2) John Davis – mastering Samuel Egglenton – engineering (tracks 1–2) Femi Koleoso – drums (tracks 1, 3) Mike Smith – keyboards (track 3) Jeff Wootton – guitar (track 3) Jesse Hackett – keyboards (track 3) Karl Vanden Bossche – percussion (track 3) Seye Adelekan – bass (track 3)

Additional musicians Jelani Blackman – vocals (track 1) Barrington Levy – vocals (track 1) Jorja Smith – additional vocals (track 1) Isabelle Dunn – cello (track 1) Nina Foster – violin (track 1) Oli Langford – violin (track 1) Sarah Tuke – violin (track 1) AJ Tracey – vocals (track 2) Alicaì Harley – vocals (track 3) Ade Omotayo – additional vocals (track 3) Angel Silvera – additional vocals (track 3) Matt Maijah – additional vocals (track 3) Michelle Ndegwa – additional vocals (track 3) Petra Luke – additional vocals (track 3) Rebecca Freckleton – additional vocals (track 3) Additional technical Alicaì Harley – programming (track 3) Dave Guerin – engineering (track 3) Matt Butcher – engineering, mixing (track 3)