Childish Gambino Teases New Song With Producer Ludwig Goransson

Childish Gambino is in album mode. The multi-talented Donald Glover has been focusing on TV, but he’s rededicated himself to his Gambino persona for a brand new release. The details surrounding the album have been scarce, but the more time passes, the musical snippets fans have gotten to hear. The latest, teased by Gambino himself, is the most exciting yet. It teases a fresh new sound, and involves his long time collaborator, Ludwig Goransson.

Childish Gambino hopped on Instagram on June 9 to share a video of him and Goransson in the studio together. The former can been playing playing tracks back, while Goransson can be seen sitting in a chair next to him. “Everything now is like— y’know, less people play instruments,” Gambino tells his producer. “So like everybody’s just using their voice and they’re filling it up with a bunch of reverb.” The track is a rebuke to the “reverb” Gambino is talking about. Very little of the track is heard during the video, but it does have a funky drum pattern and synths. The implementation of the latter sounds like a hybrid of the styles that Childish Gambino showcased on his previous two albums.

There’s a cinematic quality to the instrumental, which makes perfect sense given Gambino’s intent. He announced that the upcoming album, Bando Stone and the Free World, will be a soundtrack to the film of the same name. Gambino preciously teased this filmic concept with 2013’s Because the Internet, which was accompanied by a screenplay. It helps that Gambino, as Donald Glover, has appeared in several big films and shows. It helps even more than Ludwig Goransson has become one of the most revered and emulated film composers of the last decade.

There’s extra hype surrounding this upcoming Childish Gambino album. It’s been teased as the last to feature the Gambino moniker, which is something Goransson has been cagey about discussing during interviews. “If he makes a statement like that, I think he’s a serious person,” the Oscar winner told The Wrap. “Music is such a part of his life, so I’m sure he’s going to invent some new way of doing music or art or whatever it is. But if he says he’s done with Childish Gambino — he’s done.” Goransson did note, however, how much he enjoys experimenting with Glover. “I never know what to expect,” he gushed. “On a new project, on a new song. It can go anywhere.”