The Gorillaz released two new music videos today, along with an announcement regarding the animated bandâs new fourth member. The bandâs original fourth member, Murdoc, is in jail in the band's fiction, so the role of hijinks instigator and bassist now falls to Ace, a member of the Gangreen Gang. If that name sounds familiar, well, thatâs because it should. Unlike the three other members of the Gorillaz, Ace is not an original creation. Rather, he debuted in the Whoopass Stew - A Sticky Situation animated short, which begat The Powerpuff Girls series, 26 years ago.
Since then, Ace has received a bit of a visual upgrade, which is on full display in the music video for the one of the bandâs new songs, âHumility.â The other Gorillaz song released today is âLake Zurich,â though its accompanying music video is categorized as a âvisualizerâ and lacks the narrative and star power of âHumility.â Aceâs inclusion and origins were confirmed in the bandâs newsletter.
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The Gorillaz is the brain child of musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett. The band has gone through numerous transformations, all based on a persistent, shared fiction. The most recent narrative development has placed the bandâs bassist, Murdoc, behind bars. In the bandâs fiction, the bassist was framed by a shadowy figure named El Mierda, who he met during the filming of their âStrobeliteâ music video. Murdoc got on El Mierdaâs bad side, and the crime lord framed him for smuggling.
Ace first debuted in the Whoopass Stew - A Sticky Situation, a short film by Craig McCracken, as a member of the Gangreen Gang. The short film would go on to spawn Cartoon Networkâs The Powerpuff Girls series, which included numerous appearances by the Gangreen Gang. The gang itself consists of five members, all green: Ace, Snake, Lil' Arturo, Grubber and Big Billy. The gang are ostensibly villains in the show, though they are considered low-grade threats for the superpowered Powerpuff Girls trio.
There no word just yet on how Ace made the jump from The Powerpuff Girls to becoming the replacement bassist for the Gorillaz. There is also no telling just how long Ace will occupy Murdocâs spot. For the time being, the band is trying to start a new social media movement based around a #FreeMurdoc campaign.
The Gorillazâs next album is The Now Now. The album is set to release in full on June 29.
(via Noisey)