Updated [3/22/20] : Childish Gambino has officially released 3.15.20 across all streaming platforms and is available to listen to now.
Update [6:45 p.m.]: The songs and audio player featured on DonaldGloverPresents.com have since been removed. As Pitchfork reports, a link to the site was retweeted by Glover’s manager Fam Rothstein, but the tweet has since been deleted and the account deactivated entirely. Childish Gambino’s representatives have yet to comment on the arrival, and sudden removal of the new recordings from the website on Sunday.
Amid what could be a lengthy shutdown of all major music events across the entire North American live entertainment industry thanks to the growing threat of COVID-19, Childish Gambino delivered a special treat for fans by surprise releasing a new album in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The 12 untitled, unspecified recordings fall under the banner, Donald Glover Presents, and were shared to DonaldGloverPresents.com rather than traditional streaming services. The artwork to go along with the recordings, which play automatically without the option to skip to the next track, is that of a hand-drawn banner displaying a mix of chaos and social fanaticism as buildings burn in the background, offering an artistic portrayal of the mood set across the globe at the moments.
The album does not include Glover’s 2019’s single “Algorythm“, but does feature various collaborations with Ariana Grande and 21 Savage, Billboard reports.
Childish Gambino–the musical alias for actor Donald Glover–hasn’t released a full album of new material since his Grammy-nominated Awaken, My Love! arrived in December 2016. Glover teamed up with fellow pop superstar Rihanna last year for a short film entitled, Guava Island.
He also appears on a new single shared by Thundercat earlier this year titled, “Black Qualls”, alongside Steve Lacy and Steve Arrington. The track will be included on the jazz bassist’s forthcoming studio album, It Is What It Is, due out in April.
Click here to stream Childish Gambino’s new album, Donald Glover Presents.
[H/T Billboard]