"Merrie Land" is the second and final studio album by the English art rock supergroup The Good, the Bad & the Queen. It was produced by Tony Visconti and released on November 16, 2018. The band announced the album with the release of the title track "Merrie Land" and news of a five-date UK tour in December 2018. In an interview with The Scotsman, Damon Albarn described the album as "a reluctant goodbye letter" to the European Union following Brexit, noting that it is "a series of observations and reflections on Britishness in 2018."
The album's promotion continued with the release of a second single, "Gun to the Head," on November 5, 2018. The track features a blend of organ, bassoon, recorder, and a British Invasion-style pop hook, complemented by Albarn's complex and politically tinged lyrics. A video for "Gun to the Head" featured Albarn dressed as a ventriloquist's dummy, a recurring motif in the album's visual aesthetic, alongside backup dummies and a black backdrop.
Recording for Merrie Land began in January 2017, with sessions initially focused on Blackpool. Over the course of the following years, as Albarn toured with Gorillaz for Humanz and The Now Now, the album’s scope expanded beyond its original focus. The band described the album as sharing some creative traits with their self-titled debut, but with stylistic differences. Paul Simonon described Merrie Land as "modern English folk music with a bit of rub-a-dub in it," while Tony Allen noted that the music was more danceable compared to their previous work. The album addresses themes inspired by the Brexit vote, and its tone is marked by confusion and disillusionment, contrasting with the more murky feel of the band's first album, which focused primarily on London.
The album's cover features a still of Michael Redgrave from the 1945 horror film Dead of Night, in which he plays a ventriloquist who is overtaken by his dummy, a fitting visual for the album's themes of control, identity, and the past.
