Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode, damon Albarn, Wet Leg, Fontaines D.C., and Pulp are among the U.K. artists contributing new songs to HELP(2), a follow-up to the 1995 charity collection HELP, which raised millions for war Child’s work supporting children in conflict zones.
The project, due March 6, also features contributions from Olivia Rodrigo (covering the Magnetic Fields), Geese’s Cameron Winter, arooj Aftab and Beck, Arlo Parks, beabadoobee, Portishead’s Beth Gibbons (covering the Velvet Underground), Big Thief, King Krule, and Sampha. Arctic Monkeys’ “Opening Night,” their first new song since 2022, is available now.
HELP(2) was mainly recorded during one week last November at Abbey Road Studios in London with Arctic Monkeys/Gorillaz producer James Ford. “The original HELP meant a lot to me, and to have the prospect, given the current news cycle, to help galvanize our music community into doing something as undeniably positive as helping children in war zones is incredible,” says Ford.