Donald Glover shared some new old music on Monday morning (May 13) when he unleashed his new Childish Gambino project Atavista (3.15.20 reimagined versions). “New” is a relative term for the 11-track collection, which the actor/rapper explained the “finished version of 3.15.20, the album I put out four years ago.”
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Indeed, Atavista is a refresh of the 2020 Gambino album 3.15.20, which was originally uploaded in an unfinished state to donaldgloverpresents.com before it was removed and then re-uploaded to streaming sites a week later under it final title. A number of songs on Atavista appear to be very similar, if not exactly the same as those on the previous release, including “Algorhythm,” the Ariana Grande-featuring “Time” and others with guest spots from 21 Savage, Ink and Kadhja Bonet (“Psilocybae”) and Summer Walker (“Sweet Thang”); the 50-minute project does feature the new futuristic title track, which opens with chaotic synth squiggles before settling into a classic Gambino soul serenade, as well as the fresh robotic funk track “Human Sacrifice.”
Though fan favorite dreamy single “Feels Like Summer” is off the roster, Atavista is being fronted by hot jazz hop burner “Little Foot Big Foot” featuring Young Nudy (formerly known as “35.21” on the 3.15.20 album). In addition to a new title, the song gets its own video as well, a black-and-white narrative directed by Glover’s frequent collaborator, Hiro Murai, featuring a cameo from Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary).
The six-minute clip opens with Gambino and his crew showing up to a Cotton Club-style nightclub as doo wop trio Johnny and the Pipes, with a warning from Brunson to not make eye contact with anyone in the front row. Playing to an unimpressed room, Gambino busts into the song’s irresistible chorus as he and his compatriots tear up the floor with moves that borrow inspiration from everyone from Beyoncé to Cab Calloway.
In typical Glover fashion, things go dramatically awry, as the trio win the room over in the most unexpected way and the scene shifts to a shot of Nudy dropping his verses in the dark under the desert stars.
In a statement, Glover said most of the songs on Atavista are spruced-up versions of the same songs from the previous album, noting that there’s also a “special vinyl coming soon w/visuals for each song.”
Last month Glover announced that he was preparing the final two Gambino projects, with Atavista to be followed by the soundtrack to his upcoming movie, Bando Stone & the New World.
Listen to Atavista and watching the “Little Foot Big Foot” video below.
