Empire Ants

"Empire Ants" is a song by virtual band Gorillaz, released on their third studio album Plastic Beach. It features guest vocals and instrumentation from the trip hop band Little Dragon. Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn was first introduced to Little Dragon through his partner Suzi Winstanley, who was a fan of the band's music. Yukimi Nagano 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 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." Overview Nagano and Albarn spent multiple days at Studio 13, Albarn's personal studio in London, 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. Live performances "Empire Ants" was performed live throughout the Escape to Plastic Beach world tour. 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 Humanz Tour, Nagano reunited with Gorillaz to perform "Empire Ants" at the Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco in 11 August 2017, her first performance of the song in nearly 7 years.

[Verse 1: 2-D] Oh, joys are us, the sun has come again to hold you Sailing out the doldrums of the week The polyphonic prayer is here, it's all around you It's all around you, out here [Bridge: 2-D] And if the whole world is crashing down (on you) Fall through space out of mind with me [Verse 2: 2-D] Where the emptiness we leave behind on warm air rising Blows all the shadows far away The falling of the whole empire, is here to hold you Rolling out and haunted till it sleeps [Hook: Yukimi Nagano] Little memories, marching on Your little feet, working the machine Say will it spin, will it soar? My little dream, working the machine Soon, like a wave, empires will fall And closing in on you, they're going on Little memories Your little feet, working the machine Say will it spin, will it soar? My little dream, working the machine Soon like a wave, empires will fall Closing in on you, they're going on