Blur is the eponymous fifth studio album by the English
rock band
Blur, released on 10 February 1997 by
Food Records. Blur had previously been broadly critical of American popular culture and their previous albums had become associated with the
Britpop movement, particularly
Parklife (1994), which had helped them become one of Britain's leading pop acts. After their previous album,
The Great Escape, the band faced media backlash and relationships between the members became strained.