Makayla Flenoury
On July 19, 2024, Donald Glover released his sixth album “Brando Stone and the New World” under his alter-ego Childish Gambino.
An artist, actor and producer, Donald Glover is well known for his television series “Atlanta”, about an aspiring rap artist. The show was created, produced, written and directed by Glover himself. “Brando Stone and the New World” is said to be the soundtrack for Glover’s next production, a movie of the same name.
Glover announced that this would be his last album as Childish Gambino, with plans to retire his alter-ego after seventeen years in the music industry.
“Brando Stone and the New World”, the album and movie, follow a singer who finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world, teaming up with a woman and her son to fight prehistoric monsters. Movie lines can be heard at the beginning and end of some songs, binding the two projects.
Gambino’s goal was to make an upbeat album that created a sense of togetherness when played in large groups, touching on themes of self-confidence, self-destruction and determination.
Brando Stone and the New World is quite different from the hip-hop and rap Gambino is known for, featuring a variety of genres such as rock, hyper pop, indie pop, contemporary R&B, afrobeat, electronic hip-hop and jazz.
The first song, a glitchy electro-hip-hop beat with pitch-shifting vocals, “Hearts Were Meant to Fly” is a bold opener for the album. A sign of Gambino shifting from his norm, this intro shows his confidence, especially with the lyric “everybody hatin’ wanna get like me.”
Another song displaying Gambino’s musical evolution, is “Got to Be” which starts in an R&B style and goes into a hyperpop beat. This track hits on Glover’s self-destructive habits with lines like “I be messed up every weekend, I’m like / I don’t know why I’ve been drinkin’ up.” Followed by “can’t stop, won’t stop” as the tempo shifts, giving fans an upbeat and relatable song.
The track “Running Around” takes a creative turn, unlike anything Gambino has done before. An indie pop—rock song, the track is about escaping your problems and feelings but also urges perseverance with lyrics like “don’t lose faith / you are strong / keep goin on”.
Gambino does a great job of connecting listeners with the beats and lyrics, especially those needing a boost of encouragement, showing fans they are not alone in their struggles. He brings people together, while linking each piece of his art, seamlessly tying the album, movie and concerts. Gambino’s performances in his New World Tour display rave-like lasers that are similar to the ones shown in the movie trailer.
The album alone is rather underwhelming and may not be considered Gambino’s best music, as it seemingly lacks the heart and soul put into his previous records. However, when considering “Brando Stone and the New World” as a creative package, the entire experience is a superior Gambino production.