When Blur surprised fans by announcing they would return with The Magic Whip, their first album in 12 years, they revealed that China helped inspire the new album (while North Korea drove the song “Pyongyang”). Now, the band says one of the upcoming LP’s other tracks, “There Are Too Many of Us,” was based on the December hostage takeover of a Sydney café in Australia.

"Probably the initial idea came from being in a very claustrophobic city, but I actually finished the lyric after having come back from Australia," frontman Damon Albarn told NME. "I was there the day they had the hostage situation in the chocolate shop, which was an extraordinary thing to witness.”

“I was staying in a hotel where I could literally see what was going on outside and watch it on television,” he continued. “I’ve never been in that position before, and as a songwriter that was a very interesting standpoint to have. To be seeing something on TV, and then out the window it’s happening. Seeing the reality of what was happening and how it was being distorted through the prism of [the camera] was kind of fascinating."

Considering the band revealed that the album was finished a mere day before they made the announcement last week on Feb. 19, it's not as surprising that the band was able to reflect on the event -- which occurred only a few months ago in December 2014, when a gunman took 18 people hostage at a Lindt chocolate café -- in time to make it on the final album.

The Magic Whip will arrive in stores on April 27, after which, Blur will make an appearance at London’s Hyde Park on June 20.

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