Gorillaz’s upcoming sound took listeners to new heights — the highest mountain.

On Sunday, the animated British band Gorillaz performed the entirety of their upcoming album at the Hollywood Palladium. A project of Britpop artist Damon Albarn and visual artist Jamie Hewlett, Gorillaz is composed of four fictional animated members – 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs and Noodle – as well as real-life vocalist Albarn. Twenty-five years since their debut album, Gorillaz’s upcoming release “The Mountain” was created during a time of personal loss for both Albarn and Hewlett and was heavily inspired by an unexpected trip to India. Infatuating the audience with the new material while creating a high-energy environment, Gorillaz’s Los Angeles show became a warm welcome into the band’s new era.

Following a DJ set that left the audience somewhat detached, Gorillaz took the stage at exactly 9 p.m. Starting with the track title “The Mountain,” the show began on an ethereal note. The almost fully-instrumental opener featured a sitar-driven melody – a plucked string instrument – alongside visuals on the backdrop screen showing the accompanying artwork for the album. Embodying the feeling of a sunrise through its orange and pink-toned lights, Gorillaz’s opening track served as a reminder that the show was an introduction to the new storyline the band created.

As a project with features on every song, the show reflected the band’s collaborative trend of the past five years by including a plethora of guest artists throughout the night. Transitioning into the second song “The Moon Cave,” Asha Puthli and Black Thought joined Albarn on stage as the first two guests. The song began with a calm tempo, aided by violin strings and Puthli’s enticing vocals, and picked up in energy as soon as Black Thought performed the rap section of the track.

Even though this was the first time the opening tracks had seen the light of day, the audience was still engaged with the new material. Still, the shift to the already-released singles brought out more energy from the crowd, transforming the hypnotizing attention into a sing-along event. Starting this section with the Sparks collaboration “The Happy Dictator,” both Albarn and the duo’s vocalist, Russell Mael, gestured at the crowd throughout the song, building off the audience’s excitement.

Switching instruments for the first time of many, Albarn moved to a piano to play the first ballad-like song “The Hardest Thing,” which opens with the voice of the late Nigerian-Ghanaian drummer, composer and songwriter Tony Allen Bathed. Bathed in blue light and water visuals, this act fully tapped into the vulnerability of the album, pulling from its main inspirations of grief and death.

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Unlike other instances of the night, the transition to “Orange County” flowed smoothly, thanks to its already determined order and arrangements made for the LP. Sharing identical lyrics in the chorus, “You know the hardest thing / Is to say goodbye to someone you love,” the second reiteration – which included Kara Jackson’s performance – transformed the chord progression into a feel-good song, despite dealing with the same heavy message: “Your legacy frightens me / Will I keep it gold / Or will it spoil.”

“The God of Lying” with IDLES started with a minor difficulty with Albarn’s melodica keyboard. Quickly restarting the song, Gorillaz and IDLES managed to maintain the built-out momentum, handling the fault with humor. The song’s sound, reminiscent of the band’s earlier alternative hip-hop work, leaned into dub reggae elements.

After this, “The Empty Dream Machine” was the first time Albarn’s vocals shone on their own as he sang with an emotion-heavy voice – even when Black Thought re-took the stage at the end of it. “Delirium” included the voice of The Fall’s member Mark E. Smith, who passed away in 2018 and who’s lyricism often included social and political criticism. “Delirum” jumped back-and-forth between monotone sections and spiraling-like instances, true to the song’s title. This act was characterized by the band’s high energy, a spectacle that embodied the charged context of the song, which the vocalist alluded to in its introduction: “His (Smith’s) lyrics seem to be really timeless, and weirdly, kind of relevant now.”

One of the stellar moments of the night came almost at the end with “The Shadowy Light.” Also being performed for the first time, the song brought forth a stronger connection with the audience. Besides the wholesome fan interactions throughout the song, Albarn finished winning the crowd over with stunning vocals that evoked a mix of desperation and hope, both emotional and vulnerable. By the end, the already small venue felt more intimate, a true testament to Albarn’s stage presence.

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Continuing the sentiment built between audience and band, Albarn took the time to walk along the barricade, even stopping to share a hug with a fan before returning to the stage. Sonically, the following track “Casablanca,” was one of the show’s most interesting. Moving between melodies, the song felt as if one was descending into an “abyss” – as mentioned in the song – but would immediately try to make their way up again, which was alluded to with the marching band-like rhythm. Creating an up-and-down motion through sound, “Casablanca” was able to portray the rockiness found in any journey.

The album’s concluding songs finished on a calmer note, much like its introduction. “The Sweet Prince,” where Jackson made another appearance, connected back to the ethereal sound of the show’s first numbers. The sound of “The Sad God” was similar to that of a ‘60s love song and closed with another rap element by Black Thought.

Yet, the dynamics of the sound and genre of each of these numbers could not have been accomplished without the musicians on stage. Handling conventional instruments such as bass and guitar while also dealing with percussion, plucked string and woodwind instruments, more than 10 musicians formed the backup band. Incredibly skillful, these musicians’ energetic performance took the album’s material and turned it into a celebration of the work.

Finishing all 15 tracks of “The Mountain,” the band left the stage – but not for long. After the audience cheered nonstop for more than five minutes, Gorillaz reclaimed the stage with some of its most iconic songs such as “Feel Good Inc.” and “Clint Eastwood.” Additionally, the encore gave some nods to the groups superfans with the surprise performance of Del The Funky Homosapien – a collaborator of the band’s 2001 self-titled album – as well as the performance of the deep cut song “California and the Slipping of the Sun.”

Without a single dull moment, Gorillaz’s show was a testament to the band’s ability to stay fresh. After receiving some criticisms for the safe sound of their previous album, the band’s lively performance proved that, after 25 years, Gorillaz is not afraid to experiment with unknown elements.