''3.15.20'' is the fourth studio album by American singer
Donald Glover, under his stage name Childish Gambino. It was initially uploaded to the website donaldgloverpresents.com on March 15, 2020, before being taken down 12 hours later and reappearing on streaming services on March 22 as ''3.15.20.'' It is therefore interchangeably referred to as both ''3.15.20'' and ''Donald Glover Presents''. After a countdown, it was released to
streaming and
download
In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar system. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote ...
services under the title ''3.15.20'' on March 22.
The album features guest appearances from
Ariana Grande,
Kadhja Bonet,
21 Savage
Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph (born October 22, 1992), known professionally as 21 Savage, is a rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Born in London, he moved to Atlanta with his mother at age seven. He became known after releasing two m ...
and Ink. Glover produced the album with a range of collaborators including
DJ Dahi
Dacoury Dahi Natche (born March 10, 1983), professionally known as DJ Dahi, is an American DJ, songwriter, record producer and singer from Inglewood, California. Dahi is perhaps best known for producing " Money Trees" by American rapper Kendri ...
, longtime producer
Ludwig Göransson
Ludwig Emil Tomas Göransson (; ; born 1 September 1984) is a Swedish composer, conductor and record producer. He has scored films such as ''Fruitvale Station'', the ''Rocky'' franchise entries ''Creed'' and ''Creed II'', ''Venom'', and ''Tene ...
, Chukwudi Hodge,
Kurtis McKenzie
Kurtis McKenzie, formally known as The Arcade, is a British record producer, songwriter, and musician based in Los Angeles. McKenzie is a Grammy Award-winning, Latin Grammy Award-winning, and Academy Award-nominated record producer and composer ...
and
James Francies, Jr.
Most of the album's track titles refer to the time at which they appear on the album; for example, "
12.38" appears 12 minutes and 38 seconds into the album. The 2018 promotional single, "
Feels Like Summer", appears on the album under the title "42.26".
The album received critical acclaim, with praise particularly directed towards Glover's songwriting and the album's themes.
Background
![Childish Gambino at SXSW 2014 (Cropped Version)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Childish_Gambino_at_SXSW_2014_%28Cropped_Version%29.jpg)
In 2017, Donald Glover, during a live performance, revealed he planned to retire the stage name Childish Gambino, telling the
Governors Ball Music Festival audience, "I'll see you for the last Gambino album." After some disputes with Glassnote, Glover signed with
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
in January 2018. In May 2018, he premiered two songs titled "Saturday" and "
This Is America" while performing as both host and musical guest on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
''. The latter and its political music video went viral, achieving widespread success and critical acclaim, giving him his first song to reach No. 1 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
In July 2018, Glover released the ''
Summer Pack'' extended play containing the songs "
Summertime Magic" and "
Feels Like Summer", the former of which was labelled to be the lead singles from Glover's forthcoming fourth studio album titled “Almanac” which later got cancelled and replaced the eventual release of 3.15.20 in 2020. Later that year, Glover performed live dates on the
This Is America Tour
The This Is America Tour was the fifth concert tour by American recording artist Childish Gambino. The tour began in the summer of 2018, playing over 20 shows in North America and Europe.
Background
Glover announced his intention to retire the C ...
and announced at the debut show in Atlanta that the tour would be his last. Individuals who purchased tickets to the tour received exclusive unfinished
demos of the songs "Algorhythm" and "All Night" prior to the tour dates. Along his tour, he played "Algorhythm" and "All Night" (the latter was only played in Atlanta), and he also premiered new songs, then believed to be from his upcoming studio album, including "Atavista", "39.28" (then untitled), and "Human Sacrifice".
A
Google Pixel 3
The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They collectively serve as the successors to the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. They were officially an ...
advertisement debuted during the
61st Annual Grammy Awards
The 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 10, 2019, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys hosted. During her opening monologue, Keys brought out Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and ...
featuring Donald Glover and using the previously teased song "Human Sacrifice."
Glover also a debuted a trailer for his musical film ''
Guava Island'' at his PHAROS event in December 2018, which leaked online. Glover debuted a performance of his new song “32.22/Shock" during Glover's headlining performance at
Coachella Coachella may refer to:
* Coachella, California
* Coachella Canal, in California
* Coachella (festival), an annual music and arts festival in California
* "Coachella – Woodstock in My Mind", a 2017 song by Lana del Rey
See also
* Coachell ...
in 2019, and the film was debuted the same weekend. The musical film ''Guava Island'' contained several unreleased songs, including "
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
", "Die with You", and "Saturday", hinting at their inclusion on the album.
Promotion
Early morning March 15, 2020, the website donaldgloverpresents.com was circulated and promoted on social media by individuals connected to Glover and his management.
The website featured a collection of songs, including a few previously performed and teased tracks, playing live on a loop which were subsequently removed 12 hours later. Additionally, the website displayed promotional artwork, appearing to be a sketched concept for extendable album art. A few days after the stream ended, the website displayed a countdown set to end a week after the original stream.
Following the concluded countdown, the website updated with the same looped stream of songs with a handwritten note from Glover about his inspirations behind the album. At the same time, the previously streamed collection of songs was uploaded to streaming services as ''3.15.20'', Glover's fourth studio album. The album was released as a 12 track album under the Childish Gambino moniker, as well as a continuous play version under the artist name Donald Glover Presents.
Critical reception
According to the review aggregator
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, the album received critical acclaim, with an average review score of 83 out of 100.
Aggregator
AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.9 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
s critic Tim Sendra wrote in his review that "the 2020 Childish Gambino record ''3.15.20'' is an expansive, mind-bending trip that never takes an expected step." Sendra continued by comparing the album to other artists work, stating that "The end result is a challenging, hooky, mysterious and odd record that feels like it was built out of pieces left over from a collision between
Outkast,
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
,
Sly and the Family Stone
Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi ...
, and
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
." Sendra ended his review by saying that ''3.15.20'' is the "second classic, timeless and timely Childish Gambino record in a row."
Writing for ''
Consequence of Sound
''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'', Okla Jones praised the album, stating that "Glover's willingness to experiment with different sounds and harmonies is evidence that things either foreign or unknown need not be feared, but ''embraced''. No, as in life, there's beauty in uncertainty." While praising Glover's songwriting and the features on ''3.15.20'', Jones criticized the production and vocals on a few of the album's tracks.
''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''s reviewer Dean Van Nguyen acclaimed the album, saying that "The actor, comedian and musician Donald Glover has made the first truly outstanding album of the decade, offsetting cultural examinations with moments of sweet levity." Nguyen further stated that the themes of the album fits to the present day insecurities with the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, saying that "The disruption caused by the coronavirus forces us to question how strong the foundations of civilisation really are. Glover never could have seen the pandemic coming when he was recording the album, yet at a time when much of what we thought was strong is weak - what we thought was eternal is potentially fleeting – ''3.15.20'' captures the insecurity of lived reality and the humanity that truly defines our existence."
Sam Moore of ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' gave the album a favorable review, particularly praising Glover's decision to bring up more private matters on the album, referring to the song "47.48". Moore wrote that "The rolling groove of '47.48' is another highlight: Glover's doomy proclamations about the violent and unjust aspects of society ('little boys playing 'round, shot down') eventually subside for a more optimistic outlook for the future as Glover sweetly interacts with his young son Legend about the people they each love." Moore continued by saying that "Glover’s willingness to share such a candid moment on record is particularly interesting given his past proclivity towards keeping his private life largely offline, and may be a sign that the star is beginning to let his guard down as the outside world continues to try to peer in."
Some reviews were more mixed. Debbie Ijaduola of
''Clash'' unfavorably compared the album to Childish Gambino's previous efforts, stating that "Lacking the strong narrative thrust so apparent on his
lover'spast albums, the project is incredibly disappointing. From what it looks like, it seems like there was a reason he said he was quitting music." However, Ijaduola highlighted the songs "Algorhythm", "42.26" and "47.48" as the album's most enjoyable tracks.
''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
''s critic Paul A. Thompson stated that "''3.15.20'' is studded with little hooks and big ideas that serve as lures. Its spiritual largesse is weighed down by impulses carried halfway to their endpoints and moments of frustrating pretense." Thompson, alike other reviewers, praised the song "47.48", saying that the track "sounds like a locked-in house band; the lyrics are actually about a crushing and ever-present violence, and the tension mesmerizes. That song ends with a conversation between Glover and his young son about love-sweeter than it sounds on paper, chilling given the juxtaposition."
Glover also received minor criticism in New Zealand for releasing the album on, and for naming it after, the first anniversary of the
Christchurch mosque shootings
On 15 March 2019, two consecutive mass shootings occurred in a terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The attacks, carried out by a lone gunman who entered both mosques during Friday prayer, began at the Al Noor Mosque ...
.
Accolades
Track listing
Notes
* signifies an additional producer
Sample credits
* "Algorhythm" contains samples of "
Hey Mr. D.J.", written by Anthony Bahr, Kier Gist, Leon Ware, Rene Neufville and Zane Grey, and performed by
Zhané
Zhané ( ) was an American R&B duo, best known for their 1993 hit " Hey Mr. D.J.", which reached No. 6 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Other popular hits include " Groove Thang" (U.S. No. 17) and minor hit " Sending My Love", both released i ...
.
Personnel
Credits adapted from
Tidal
Tidal is the adjectival form of tide.
Tidal may also refer to:
* ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple
* Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim
* TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music
* Tidal (servic ...
.
Musicians
*
Childish Gambino – vocals
*
Ariana Grande – featured vocals
*
21 Savage
Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph (born October 22, 1992), known professionally as 21 Savage, is a rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Born in London, he moved to Atlanta with his mother at age seven. He became known after releasing two m ...
– featured vocals
* Atia "Ink" Boggs – featured vocals
*
Kadhja Bonet – featured vocals
* James Francies, Jr. – keyboards , synthesizer , Harpischord , organ
* Ely Rise – keyboards
* Brent Jones – background vocals
* The Best Life Singers – background vocals
* Legend Glover – background vocals
* The Denise Renee Choir – background vocals
* Chukwudi Hodge – drums , bells
* Kurtis McKenzie – drums
* Nate Smith – drums
* Loshendrix – guitar
*
Ludwig Göransson
Ludwig Emil Tomas Göransson (; ; born 1 September 1984) is a Swedish composer, conductor and record producer. He has scored films such as ''Fruitvale Station'', the ''Rocky'' franchise entries ''Creed'' and ''Creed II'', ''Venom'', and ''Tene ...
– bass , guitar
* Elena Pinderhughes – flute
* Dani Markham - percussion
Production
* Donald Glover – production , mixing engineer
*
DJ Dahi
Dacoury Dahi Natche (born March 10, 1983), professionally known as DJ Dahi, is an American DJ, songwriter, record producer and singer from Inglewood, California. Dahi is perhaps best known for producing " Money Trees" by American rapper Kendri ...
– production
* Loshendrix – production
*
Ludwig Göransson
Ludwig Emil Tomas Göransson (; ; born 1 September 1984) is a Swedish composer, conductor and record producer. He has scored films such as ''Fruitvale Station'', the ''Rocky'' franchise entries ''Creed'' and ''Creed II'', ''Venom'', and ''Tene ...
– production
* EY – production
* Chukwudi Hodge – production
* Kurtis Mckenzie – production
* Jamies Francies, Jr. – production
*
Jai Paul
Jai Paul is an English songwriter, record producer and recording artist. His early demo "BTSTU" led to his online discovery and a subsequent recording contract with XL Recordings. Together with its follow-up "Jasmine", these songs have been reg ...
– additional production
* Riley Mackin – mix engineering, record engineering, additional production
* Ruben Rivera – record engineering
* Kyle Stephens – record engineering
* Mike Bozzi – master engineering
Charts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:03.15.20
2020 albums
Donald Glover albums
RCA Records albums
Albums produced by DJ Dahi
Albums produced by James Francies
Albums produced by Ludwig Göransson
Albums produced by Jai Paul
Albums produced by Kurtis McKenzie
Surprise albums
Alternative R&B albums
Neo soul albums
Experimental music albums by American artists