The Manifesto

Somewhere between the hum of the metropolis and the rustle of the mountain wind, a strange feeling arises: as if reality itself has grown tired of pretending. The light beckons - not menacingly, but rather as a reminder that all that is mortal can be left behind if one dares to walk through. There are no prophets or idols here, only people seeking a path through the noise and concrete, through their own fears and habit of pain.

The rhythm breaks the usual breathing, as if forcing the heart to beat its own beat, not synchronised with anyone else's. In one verse, there is street rage; in another, the philosophy of a survivor who has realised that the main weapon is awareness. The mountains cry, but they stand, and in this lies a wisdom that people lack.

And if you listen closely, behind the layer of chaos, you can hear something almost tender: the belief that even in the filthiest of places, you can find light. Not because someone will show you the way, but because a quiet understanding has long been maturing inside you - freedom begins when you stop being afraid to look at the sky.

Screenplay: Damon Albarn, Mateo Palacios Corrazzina, DeShawn D. Holton

Producer: Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egleton and Remy Cabaka Jr.

Vocals: Gorillaz, Trueno, Proof

Bansuri by Ajay Prasanna

Percussion by Virat Acharya

Tabla player by Bharat Singh

Sarod by Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash

Mountain choir: Vijaya Shanker, Rajalakshmi Sanjay, Ritika Sahni, Pari Thakur, Rahul Pandey, Sankar Vaidya, Vamsi Kotaru, Pulkit Rajwanshi, Vaishnavi Shanker

Demonic Strings Izzy Dunn, Kotono Sato, Sarah Tuck, and Siaara Ismail.

Wind Instruments Hindu Jea Band Jaipur

Trumpets Chris Storr

French Horn Matthew Gunner

Developed by Sam Egleton, Giacomo Vianello, and Ishaam Nimkar, Tatool

Assistant engineers Adhitya Sivakumar, Giacomo Vianello, and Federica Cotton

Mixing by Marta Salonia

Mastering by Heba Kadri