ALT CTRL is home to the latest and greatest in alternative music. Here, it’s as much an attitude as a sound—music that keeps things a little left of center and rough around the edges. This week, Gorillaz team up with synth-pop pioneers Sparks for “The Happy Dictator,” the latest single off their forthcoming ninth studio album The Mountain (out in March 2026). Wry commentary on authoritarianism is coupled with a bouncy, cartoonish melody that could’ve been plucked from a vintage Nintendo game’s soundtrack. Sparks’ Russell Mael and Gorillaz’s 2-D (Damon Albarn’s animated alter ego) trade off vocals throughout as they repeat the propaganda of, well, a very happy-sounding dictator looking to stay in power and sway the masses with a promise: “No more bad news/So you can sleep well at night/And the palace of your mind will be bright.” Check back often, as our editors update this playlist regularly—and if you hear something you like, add it to your library.