Blur release bonus tracks as part of The Ballad of Darren deluxe edition

Current Hot Press cover stars Blur have released a deluxe version of their recent album The Ballad of Darren, with two bonus tracks, 'the Rabbi,' and 'the Swan.'

The release comes just days after the original album dropped.

The group made the announcement through their Twitter just after 11am.

'The Ballad of Darren' deluxe version, featuring bonus tracks 'The Rabbi' and 'The Swan' 🦢 Now available on all streaming platforms. https://t.co/xlXiZrlv09 pic.twitter.com/jBysDrGcBM

— blur (@blurofficial) July 24, 2023

The original album features ten tracks, including 'the Everglades (For Leonard),' a tribute to the late Leonard Cohen, who was one of the band's major influences.

"Ninth studio album, The Ballad Of Darren, sees them in world-beating and occasionally world-weary form, from the mid-paced melancholia of ‘Russian Strings’; to the serrated guitar and spiky attitude of ‘St. Charles Square’; and the smooth and sunny pop chops of ‘Barbaric’, reminiscent of Ian Broudie at his finest (and that’s high praise indeed)," John Walshe wrote in his review of the album for Hot Press.

Despite the extra content just released, fans are clamouring for more. The Japanese album release includes the bonus track 'Sticks and Stones,' which many other fans are eager to hear.

WE WANT STICKS N STONES! WE WANT STICKS N STONES!

— charlotte ☆ #1 THE EVERGLADES LOVER (@charlottesblur) July 24, 2023

The original release and deluxe version with two bonus tracks are available to stream on a variety of streaming services through Blur's website.

Read our insightful cover story interview with Blur in the current issue of Hot Press – with the Britpop heroes discussing reinvention, Irish memories, '90s chaos, Elvis, The Pogues, and more...