Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & The New World

Donald Glover declared in 2024 that Bando Stone and The New World would be the last Childish Gambino album. Highlights from ostensible soundtrack to a feature-length movie of the same name include "Lithonia", "In The Night" (feat. Jorja Smith and Amaarea) and "Steps Beach".

The ostensible soundtrack to a feature-length movie of the same name, the hour-long project includes snippets of dialogue that hint at the film’s apocalyptic subject matter. The fact that the soundtrack is preceding the actual film is part of Glover’s strategy: He wants listeners to work to figure out what they’re listening to.

“The soundtrack forces the audience to participate in a way that I don't feel like most things force you to participate,” he says. “It forces you to have an imagination. I already see people being like, 'This is very cinematic, this must be the part that... This feels like a credit sequence.' A lot of stuff feels flat because it's not asking you to participate. Art used to be you had to participate on some level and have some sort of thought process on it. You can't just be like, 'Oh, this is mid.'”

Even without the benefit of the full visuals, these 17 tracks make for a satisfying swan song that synthesizes what came before with fresher ideas gleaned from the threshold of finality.

This 2LP vinyl edition produced by RCA Records in 2025. Holographic inner-sleeves. Gatefold sleeve.

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