There are no technical glitches, screen hangs or Wi-Fi drops, instead it’s short and sharp, in the shorthand of modern communication. When we convene on a dark corner of the internet, Murdoc Niccals, Stuart Harold "2-D" Pot, Russel Hobbs and Noodle, the brainchildren of Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, who have been making music as a collective for over two decades, their digital selves are as mysterious as their recording sessions.

The four of them are gearing up for the release of Song Machine: Season One - Strange Timez, featuring a raft of collaborators, including The Cure’s Robert Smith, Kano, Elton John, St. Vincent, and CHAI, and they’re also rehearsing for livestream shows in December, which Albarn describes as “playing new music in a new way in a new reality."

When it comes to explaining their Nine Songs selections, they’re equally mysterious about the why’s and wherefores of each song. Drummer Russel Hobbs opts for nostalgia, referencing the late master of Afrobeat Tony Allen and Del the Funky Homosapien, their collaborator on the first Gorillaz single “Clint Eastwood". Guitarist Noodle is both cryptic and philosophical. Singer 2D uses his choices to explain why 2020 is rubbish. Bassist Murdoc is by a distance the most loquacious and mentions a lost love - Kelly O’Driscoll if you’re reading this, give him a virtual shout, it’s lonely out there in cyberspace.