Donald Glover Closes the Book on Childish Gambino With the Masterful ‘Bando Stone and the New World’: Album Review (2024)

Donald Glover doesn’t do anything by half, and the massive multifaceted project he’s launched for what he says is the final statement from Childish Gambino, the long-running alter-ego he rode to musical stardom, is no exception. “Bando Stone and the New World” is an album, a film and a sprawling world tour, which were all announced simultaneously back in April (along with another album, a finished version of “Atavista,” the nearly-complete set he’d quietly rush-released in the early days of the pandemic and re-released last May).

The film and tour remain to be seen, but if the “Bando Stone” album is any indication, Gambino is going out with a bang: It’s not only his best and most far-reaching musical project to date, with a brain-busting combination of musical styles and guests ranging from singers Jorja Smith and Amaarae to rappers Flo Milli and Yeat to alt-rock virtuosos Khruangbin. It’s also easily one of the top albums of the year.

Popular on Variety

Related Stories

VIP+

Nielsen's Gracenote Division Hires Former Snapchat, Spotify Exec Jared Grusd as CEO

We’d expect nothing less. Glover is so talented at so many things it doesn’t seem fair — rapper, singer, actor, songwriter, screenwriter, director, dancer, who knows what else — but it comes with a deep contrarian streak, which isn’t the only thing he has in common with another great contrarian, Prince. He makes blink-and-you-miss-it announcements to fans with no advance notice on livestreams that aren’t archived; “Atavista” was originally released as a stream on a one-off website for just 24 hours; he dropped his heavily coded video for his Grammy-winning song “This Is America,” in the middle of his “Saturday Night Live” double-duty hosting-musical guest stint in 2018. And although Glover’s predilection for being, as Tyler, the Creator once put it, “all secret andcrypticlike a dickfuck” can lead people to “miss out on some really coolshit,” his work nearly always rewards the time and patience it takes to search or wait for it.

Still, killing off an alter-ego is a strange conceit. David Bowie abruptly and publicly assassinated his Ziggy Stardust character onstage just as his meteor-like rise was peaking; Eminem, at 51, has hatched a complicated death plot for his juvenile, quarter-century-old Slim Shady alter-ego that is apparently ongoing. Despite playing Gambino off in such an elaborate fashion, Glover is low-key about his reasons: “It really was just like, ‘Oh, it’s done,’” he told the New York Times recently. “It’s not fulfilling. And I just felt like I didn’t need to build in this way anymore.” (However, it seems a fair bet that Glover turning 40 last year had something to do with it.)

All that backdrop seems to have little obvious impact on “Bando Stone,” and apart from some brief bits of dialogue between songs (some of which are in the film’s trailer), advancing a plot doesn’t either. Although the meaning behind the lyrics will likely become clearer once the film is released, intriguing lines float by like “I’mma make a billi’ like I’m Eilish,” “I got a ego ’bout as big as Lake Tahoe,” and “Shoot a motherfucker, I’m the new Spike Lee/ Everybody Satan and I’m G-O-D.” But the album is such a grand slam of musical styles that its concepts wouldn’t be the first thing you’d notice anyway.

Over the course of 17 songs and an hour, it leaps between styles and moods dramatically and at times abruptly — the otherworldly electronic haze of “We Are God” cuts immediately into the emo-pop of “Running Around” — but also surprisingly smoothly. There are power chords on “Lithonia”; “Steps Beach” is a sweet, Stevie Wonderesque acoustic ballad with a tinkling electric piano and gentle backing vocals; there’s an orchestral, almost Marvin Gaye-esque idyll on “No Excuses.” There are also two full-on indie-pop songs with “Real Love” and the emo-ish “Running Around”; and forays into alt-R&B with the Chloe-featuring “Survive” and “In the Night” (a tag-team with Jorja Smith and Amaarae); there’s even one sung by his eldest son, 8-year-old Legend. Fans may be disappointed that there’s nothing as sumptuously vintage-R&B as his 2016 classic “Redbone,” but to be fair, that would be hard to top.

He’s also rapping much more than he has on recent albums, in a style that sometimes recalls both Kanye West’s early material and his abrasive “Yeezy” era. But the album’s most brain-busting moment comes on the Kendrick Lamar-esque “Yoshinoya,” the middle section of which features Glover rapping hard over a thudding beat and a wild looped vocal snippet. There are traces of African and Caribbean rhythms and vocals throughout, and it all climaxes with the closing track, the epic “A Place Where Love Goes,” which combines a menacing rap with an inane chanted loop of children singing “We don’t care about the party/ We just want to dance” and even a Daft Punk-esque vocoder’ed segment and an anthemic chorus.

Not surprisingly, the album features dizzying dozens of diverse collaborators, rarely for more than a song or two, but most frequently are his longtime co-producer Ludwig Goransson, Dahi (Kendrick Lamar, Drake), “Sir Dylan” Wiggins (the Weeknd, SZA), Michael Uzowuru (Frank Ocean, SZA), and Tyler Johnson (Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus), with Max Martin, Steve Lacy, saxist Kamasi Washington, singers Willow Smith and Syd and loads of others dropping in; “Got to Be” even samples British electronica titans Prodigy. It’s also notable that Glover has chosen to collaborate with young or rising artists like Amaarae, Foushee and Khruangbin, rather than the superstars he could have enlisted.

In many ways, the hard-hitting “Yoshinoya” —named after a century-old Japanese restaurant chain that Gambino uses as a symbol for his longevity —is the centerpiece of the album, and is pretty clearly autobiographical in ways that seem to fall outside the film’s storyline.

“This is a code red for old heads
Who never liked my short shorts and pro-Keds …
Told me that money make you lonely, it ain’t so bad
N—a’s jokes are sodad…
Sold some Apple stock to buy a farm, I needed to stunt
I told ’em take the back-end points, he wanted to front
Now his career’s in a blunt …
These n—as almost fifty and they dressin’ like a hype beast
Used to get the peach milkshake and add the eight-piece
White boy throwin’ dirt on my name for the think piece…
Put they hands on a woman for the clout but said I’m wildin’
Death before dishonor
On my mom like Keke Palmer
I’m allergic to the drama, you saw me and Tyler…
Fuck with my kids, you fuck with your life
You fuckin’ these hoes, I’m fuckin’ my wife.”
(Courtesy Genius.com)

Is that Gambino’s parting shot? If so, it’s a strong one, and although he doesn’t name names, if anyone takes exception, he’s got a whole tour to respond even if this is his last album.

But presumably “Bando” is just the curtain call for the alter-ego Glover rode to stardom, an admission that such things aren’t for grown-ass dads, and hopefully he’ll continue his musical career’s progression for years to come. “Bando” is a mind-blowingly diverse and versatile album that finds him adopting a huge number of styles convincingly — and actually lives up to the drum-roll that introduced it.

Donald Glover Closes the Book on Childish Gambino With the Masterful ‘Bando Stone and the New World’: Album Review (2024)

FAQs

Why is Glover's goodbye childish? ›

And now, after the release of his sixth album, “Bando Stone & the New World,” on Friday, he's officially retiring the moniker. “It really was just like, 'Oh, it's done,'” he said, describing the moment of realization. “It's not fulfilling. And I just felt like I didn't need to build in this way anymore.”

When did Childish Gambino drop Atavista? ›

Atavista is the reissue of American rapper Childish Gambino's fourth studio album, 3.15.20, described by Gambino as a "finished version". The album was released on May 13, 2024, five days after 3.15.20 was removed from streaming platforms.

How many albums has Childish Gambino released? ›

The discography of American hip hop recording artist and actor Childish Gambino comprises five studio albums, fourteen mixtapes, and four EPs.

Is Donald Glover in Childish Gambino? ›

Multi-hyphenate Donald Glover is going back on tour as Childish Gambino. The musician-writer-actor-director-producer surprised fans with the late-night release of "Atavista," a reworked version of his 2020 project "3.15. 20."

Why is Donald Glover no longer Childish Gambino? ›

In a recent interview with The New York Times, Glover said it was no longer “fulfilling” to continue as Childish Gambino, “and I just felt like I didn't need to build in this way anymore.”

Why did 3.15/20 get deleted? ›

20 was removed from select streaming services leading up to the release of Atavista, a reworked version of the album. Atavista was released 5 days later on May 13.

Does Childish Gambino have a wife? ›

What is Childish Gambino's best album? ›

Bando Stone & The New World” is Glover's first album of all-new material since his 2020 album, “3.15.20,” which was reissued under the title “Atavista” in May.

Why did Donald Glover stop acting? ›

Despite speculation that Glover was leaving to pursue his music career, a series of hand-written notes which he posted to Instagram revealed that his reasons were more personal, citing a need for projects that offered him more independence as he worked through some personal issues.

Is Childish Gambino done making music? ›

Donald Glover is officially ending his Childish Gambino era. The Emmy- and Grammy-winning polymath, who's made music under his rap alter ego for more than a decade, released his last album “Bando Stone and the New World” on Friday.

What does gambino mean in English? ›

Gambino Surname Meaning

Italian: from a diminutive of gamba 'leg' probably applied as a nickname for someone with short legs. The surname probably of Italian origin is also found in Spain and Portugal. Similar surnames: Zampino, Babino, Gerbino, Canino, Gaudino, Bambino, Sabino, Zambito.

What changed from 3.15 20 to Atavista? ›

So what's the difference between Atavista and 3.15. 20? The new record boasts refreshed arrangements, but the most significant difference is that the tracks have names. Each song on 3.15.

Why did Childish Gambino re-release Atavista? ›

Childish Gambino has clarified in recent appearances that he always intended to clean the project up and release Atavista as a finished work, explaining that he initially dropped the unmixed and unmastered edition as a precaution, fearing the world would collapse due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

What is 19.10 on Atavista? ›

To be Hunted” has also been phenomenally remastered, with the same groovy beat from “Atavista” that I now have a soft spot for. Additionally, the new intro on this track turns it into what the song “19.10” from the album “3.15. 20” should have been.

What changed on Atavista? ›

Over four years later, on May 13, Gambino released “Atavista,” a remastered edition of his 2020 release. This release dons a brand-new intro track, refined instrumentals and vocals and finalized titles for each song (most of “3.15. 20”'s songs went by their timestamps). My favorite songs grew and evolved.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Dan Stracke

Last Updated:

Views: 5511

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (63 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Dan Stracke

Birthday: 1992-08-25

Address: 2253 Brown Springs, East Alla, OH 38634-0309

Phone: +398735162064

Job: Investor Government Associate

Hobby: Shopping, LARPing, Scrapbooking, Surfing, Slacklining, Dance, Glassblowing

Introduction: My name is Dan Stracke, I am a homely, gleaming, glamorous, inquisitive, homely, gorgeous, light person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.