“I’m loving it and it’s getting there.”

Damon Albarn has been teasing the return of Gorillaz since as far back as 2014, but last night (July 18) he confirmed that the band will be getting back together “later in the year.”

Speaking to BBC Radio 6 Music, Albarn said: “I’m loving it and it’s getting there,” adding that the new album “should be ready fairly soon.” Listen to a clip of the interview below.

Last July, the Blur frontman announced that he had planned to start work on a new Gorillaz album in September but that the cartoon troupe’s fifth album had been delayed by his other commitments.

In October, the artist behind Gorillaz, Jamie Hewlett, also said that the duo had been working on their first material since 2010’s Plastic Beach and that he was “very excited.” “I don’t want to say too much about it, but I’m at that phase of experimentation,” he told DIY at the time.