Atavista / Childish Gambino / May 13, 2024
- Joshua Yoo
- May 20, 2024
- 1 min read
Given just how many different artistic commitments Donald Glover constantly juggles, any new album feels like such a rare treat, even if it comes in an unfinished, raw and untitled form as ‘3.15.20’ did on the date four years ago. With the proper arrangements, mixing, and feature placements on this largely revamped version, it’s a lot easier to appreciate the core themes of the original work, even if the songwriting still retains many of the same shortcomings.
The more maximalist approach to the production on ‘Atavista’ entirely fits the overtly expressive tone and messaging of the artistry expected of Childish Gambino, with deep and powerful percussion, buzzing synths, and lush vocal layering permeating the entire album. Whether exhilarating thrillers like “Algorhythm”, or churning slow-burns like “The Violence”, the mood is often gratifyingly intense, and demands more of an intensive focus from the listener to digest the richness of these tracks.
At times this demand is too much, with meandering song structures and bloated runtimes that often detract from the quality execution. The steady, soulful shuffle of “Sweet Thang” with a gorgeous Summer Walker verse is diluted by the sheer amount of vocal riffing and outro material that drags the track to over seven minutes, and this recurs on at least a handful of other tracks too.
It’s still commendable for Gambino to have restored the original project to its intended form, a task many artists wouldn’t take on, and even if the final product could still use some re-working, the heart of his fourth studio album is still as intricate and gripping as usual.
Highlight(s): Atavista, The Violence, Final Church, Algorhythm
Lowlight(s): Time
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