Today, Childish Gambino released the official music video for “Lithonia,” the first visual from his newly released album Bando Stone & The New World via RCA Records. Directed by Jack Begert, the eerie, psych-fun video features Gambino alongside Suzanna Son, Ludwig Göransson, Alex Wolff, and more.
“Lithonia” debuted at No. 23 on Billboard’s Hot Alternative Songs chart, marking Gambino’s second single to appear on this chart. The song has climbed into the top 10 in just two weeks, reaching No. 9.
Bando Stone & The New World is Gambino’s final album under his Childish Gambino imprint. The 17-track album includes collaborations with Jorja Smith, Steve Lacy, Yeat, Amaarae, Fousheé, and others.
Childish Gambino knows how to sell an aesthetic. He alters his look for each album rollout, and the music videos that accompany his singles follow suit. “3005” is worlds away from “This Is America,” and his new single, “Lithonia,” is different from both. The video for “Lithonia” starts off with a surprisingly minimal set up. Childish Gambino steps to the mic and sings. The camera focuses on his mouth, and stays put for the first 40 seconds before cutting to a wide shot. From there, a band shuffles in behind the artist and starts jamming.
“Lithonia” has a rock and post-punk influence, which is relatively within Childish Gambino’s catalog. The band members will look familiar to fans of both indie music and film. The drummer is Alex Wolff, who got his start in the Naked Brothers Band but has since gone on to star in the classic horror flick Hereditary. The guitarist is Ludwig Goransson, Gambino’s longtime producer and Oscar-winning composer of the film Oppenheimer. A small audience sits before the band, listening intently as the music swells. It’s the switch at the 1:30 mark, though, where things really take a turn for the weird. The band members begin to exhibit strange behavior, culminating with Gambino screaming until his eyeballs literally explode.
The girl in the front row gets covered in blood, and proceeds to run out of the studio. The video hard cuts to her running outside, but Childish Gambino chases after her. The artist can no longer see (obviously), but feral instincts appear to have kicked in, and he lets out an animalistic scream. It’s pretty unsettling, especially given how sudden the shift from weirdness to outright terror is. Gambino has never officially dabbled in horror, but he’s flirted with the genre in the past. He was the co-creator and producer of the HBO show Swarm, which detailed a woman’s disturbing obsession with a pop star.
The music video for “Lithonia” also harkens back to Childish Gambino’s breakout single, “Bonfire.” The 2011 standout from Camp featured the rapper waking up in the woods with a noose around his neck. He spends the rest of the video trying to warn his friends about an impending murderer. The video ends with Childish Gambino realizing that he’s a ghost, and that none of the other campers can see or hear him. We’re curious to see how the rest of the Bando Stone and the New World music videos continue the “Lithonia” storyline.
On Monday, July 22, Gambino’s official video for the Bando track “Lithonia” arrived.
The Jack Begert-directed video captures Gambino singing in a dark room about how “nobody gives a f*ck.” It seems like a relatively tame, grungy rock video for about 80 seconds. Then, it becomes obvious that everyone is teetering toward something drastic — tensions heightened so much sweat drips off their faces.
The truly shocking climax comes when Gambino gutturally screams and his eyes explode from his face. An onlooker’s face is covered in his blood, causing her to also scream wildly before he chases her through the woods.
“I always knew, like, Childish Gambino was like a character, on some level I wanted it to end,” he said. “I feel like the Childish Gambino character is almost like the boss from The Office. It’s like, yeah, that worked 10 years ago. It’s like, oh, it’s a little sad, but it’s also like, wow, the cycle kind of continues, which is great I think.”
Childish Gambino has announced that his sixth studio album, Bando Stone & The New World, will be released on July 19 via RCA Records. Accompanying this announcement is the release of the album’s explosive first single, “Lithonia.” This album marks the final release under his Childish Gambino imprint.
In celebration, Childish Gambino is set to perform at Little Island in NYC on July 6. This exclusive interactive experience will offer the first listen to the new album. Tickets for CHILDISH GAMBINO LIVE FROM LITTLE ISLAND go on sale July 3 at 10 AM ET at Little Island Tickets.
Gambino also premiered the movie trailer for ‘Bando Stone & The New World’ at the 2024 BET Awards, heightening anticipation for the album’s release.
Childish Gambino will embark on The New World Tour, produced by AEG Presents this summer. The U.S. leg kicks off on August 11 at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK, making 33 stops across North America before concluding on October 3 at the United Center in Chicago, IL. The tour will continue across Europe/UK and Australia/New Zealand, starting in Lyon, FR, on October 31 and ending at RAC Arena in Perth, WA, on February 11. WILLOW is confirmed as direct support for North America, while Amaarae will join for the European/UK and Australian/New Zealand legs.
Childish Gambino has fans feeling as free as he seems on his brand-new single “Lithonia”. The veteran multi-talent just released the lead-off track for Bando Stone & The New World moments ago and it is already receiving heaps of praise. Honestly, it is well deserved, as the song beautifully produced and evokes a lot of emotion. Massive credit goes to Gambino, but also the additional producers who were brought on. They include Ludwig Göransson, Max Martin, and Michael Uzowuru, and the instrumentation perfectly matches the tone of the song. From the grand organ in the beginning to the rockin’ guitar licks, it embodies the feeling you get when you release all the stress off your mind.
It seems like that will be a heavy focus thematically speaking for Gambino on his presumed final album. Donald Glover has stated already that this is essentially the sendoff for his onstage moniker. Additionally, Bando Stone & The New World is going to be the accompanying soundtrack for his film of the same name. He is going to be wearing a lot of different hats, as he is directing, acting, and of course composing. While we now know the release date for the project, July 19, we are all still in the dark about when the movie will land in theaters. Gambino did premiere the trailer just yesterday and it will be about a former musician stranded on an island in an apocalyptic world.
While a lot of people are looking forward to the motion picture, fans are loving what Gambino did on “Lithonia”. The raw emotion on the single is what the internet is loving about it with one person writing, “Finally, music has the IT back. The FEELING is back. We been missin it.” Another adds, “this made me wanna go do something with my life”. With the album coming in just a couple of weeks, the days are going to fly by now as we now know that this is it for Childish Gambino. But we cannot wait to see what kind of note he leaves off on when the time comes.
What are your thoughts on the release date for Bando Stone & The New World? Do you think Childish Gambino has a hit with “Lithonia”, why or why not? Will his final album be his best work yet? How do you feel about that decision? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Childish Gambino. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
Donald Glover, a.k.a. Childish Gambino, unveiled the first trailer for his highly anticipated new movie, Bando Stone & The New World Order. Debuting ahead of A Quiet Place: Day One screening on June 27th, Glover announced its premiere hours before on Instagram. Still, there’s very little known about the upcoming project, which will include an accompanying soundtrack under his moniker Childish Gambino. Let’s explore what we know about Bando Stone & The New World.
The two-minute trailer premiered exclusively in IMAX theaters on Thursday night after Donald Glover, in his Instagram post earlier that day, teased the trailer drop. The brief clip shows Glover’s character, Bando Stone, joining forces with other survivors in a perilous journey through a world filled with giant, blood-thirsty creatures and electromagnetic traps. The trailer, not yet officially released online, has snippets captured by fans circulating on social media, adding to the anticipation.
However, the trailer’s debut didn’t mean that Donald Glover and his team chose to share it online. So far, only the few fans who watched the movie in theaters caught a glimpse of the preview. Nonetheless, fan-captured footage surfaced online this morning, per HipHopDX, which you could view above.
Cast & Production
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 21: Actress Jessica Allain attends the world premiere of “Fear” at Directors Guild Of America on January 21, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/Getty Images)
Bando Stone & The New World is produced by RCA Records and Gilga, Glover’s creative hub. The film stars Jessica Allain, known for her roles in horror thrillers like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Fear. The movie, exclusive to IMAX theaters, marks a significant collaboration between Glover and his production partners. The storyline focuses on Bando Stone, a musician trying to survive in a world overrun by extraterrestrial threats, whose sole skill is singing. The blend of horror, comedy, and science fiction signals that this movie will certainly be worth a watch.
Soundtrack & Album Release
Accompanying the film is a soundtrack album from Childish Gambino, expected to be his final full-length release under this moniker. While the release date of the movie remains unannounced, Glover has confirmed that the album will drop this summer. The lead single, “Lithonia,” is set to release on July 2. Glover expressed frustration over the single leaking early. He blamed the streaming service Audiomack and vowing to withhold the album from them. Despite this hiccup, the anticipation for the single and the album remains high among fans.
Bando Stone & The New World will be Glover’s second album release in 2024, following Atavista, an updated version of his 2020 LP 3.15.20. Glover’s return to music is complemented by a massive world tour kicking off in August 2024. The tour will cover North America, Europe, and Oceania, and he will be joined by genre-bending artists Willow Smith and Amaarae. This tour marks a significant event in Glover’s music career, promising a blend of new and nostalgic performances.
The Rollout & Fan Engagement
Glover has taken a unique approach to the rollout of Bando Stone & The New World, using cryptic messages and Easter eggs through his Gilga Radio show and social media. This campaign has created a sense of mystery and excitement among fans. Glover’s Instagram Live sessions have provided sporadic insights, including his feelings about the state of the music industry and the joy he finds in simple activities like feeding cows on his California farm. His engagement with fans through these unconventional methods has built a narrative that extends beyond the music and film, making this project a multifaceted experience.
