Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, just dropped some big news to excite fans. He’s finally set a release date for his last album, Bando Stone & the New World. Please mark your calendars for July 19, when it comes out via RCA Records. And to give everyone a taste, he’s also released a new single called “Lithonia.”
The track “Lithonia” is a musical masterpiece, with Glover collaborating with Michael Uzowuru, Ludwig Göransson, and Max Martin. It’s a unique blend of high-pitched synths, old-school guitar riffs, and strong piano chords. Named after Lithonia, Georgia, a place familiar to fans of his show Atlanta, this track was first heard in the trailer for his upcoming movie, which shares the same name as the album.
Speaking of the movie, Glover not only stars in it but also directs. The trailer premiered during the BET Awards 2024, where Glover also presented the Album of the Year award to Killer Mike. His classic Glover speech was filled with humor and jokes about Will Smith and Jonathan Majors. “I have more Grammys than Will Smith, which makes no sense,” he joked, getting a lot of laughs.
Since 2017, Glover has been hinting at retiring Childish Gambino. Despite these hints, he kept releasing hits like “This Is America,” “Summertime Magic,” the album 3.15.20, and a re-recording called Atavista. Now, it seems like he’s really closing this chapter with Bando Stone & the New World.
Glover is going on tour starting in August to promote the album, hitting Australia, Europe, and North America and stretching into 2024. He’s bringing along Amaarae and Willow as supporting acts so that it will be a pretty exciting lineup.
Before the tour, Glover had a special event on July 6 in NYC called “Childish Gambino Live From Little Island.” This event gave fans the first chance to hear the new album live, which cranked up the anticipation.
As Glover prepares to bid farewell to Childish Gambino, ‘Bando Stone & the New World‘ feels like a poignant final note. Fans are eagerly counting down the days until the album and film drop on July 19. In the meantime, you can check out “Lithonia” and the trailer to get a sneak peek of what’s coming.
