Childish Gambino to Release New Music, Debuts App “PHAROS Earth,” Announces Shows in Joshua Tree

After a nearly two-year hiatus, Childish Gambino is finally slated to release new music, according to a new app called “PHAROS Earth” which the Atlanta rapper has dropped in preparation for the premiere of his new album. This new release will be the “Heartbeat” MC’s first release since 2014’s mixtape/EP hybrid, STN MTN/Kauai, and his first studio album since 2013’s critically-acclaimed, Grammy-nominated Because the Internet.

Gambino, real name Donald Glover, also revealed that he will be giving a trio of performances at Joshua Tree in the Californian desert, where he will debut the new music live with the “full album experience” during a series of consecutive shows on Sept. 2-4. Tickets, which retail for $99, go on sale this Friday, June 24, and are all-inclusive, encompassing all three shows as well as camping.

Glover’s new app, “PHAROS Earth,” was made available on
the App Store last Friday and has already collected several hundred rave reviews, with fans appreciating Gambino’s signature blend of music, art and an immersive audio-visual experience within the interactive program. Visually, the app features a galaxy starscape and a map of Joshua Tree, as well as an enigmatic, droning beat in the background—rumor has it that when the background sound is sped up, it previews some of Gambino’s new tunes. Information is also available on the app regarding location of the concerts, how to buy tickets, and a countdown clock to the ticket sales: four days, as of this writing.

Despite a brief break from his music career, Glover has kept himself busy over the last few years working on other projects, reducing his commitment to the NBC comedy Community to develop his own show with FX titled Atlanta, which is scheduled to premiere this fall. In it, Glover and Brian Tyree Henry (The Good Wife, Boardwalk Empire) portray cousins and aspiring rappers stumbling into success in Atlanta’s cutthroat hip-hop community (right here in Paste’s hometown!). Glover has also made several notable film appearances in 2015’s Magic Mike XXL and The Martian.

Check out “PHAROS Earth” on the App Store, and remind yourself why you love Childish Gambino so much below.