Tomorrow, Gnarls Barkley releases Atlanta — their third album, 18 years after their second, and by their own word, their last.
CeeLo Green and Danger Mouse didn't need to come back. "Crazy" is still one of the most-streamed songs of the 2000s. St. Elsewhere still sounds original. The Gnarls Barkley story could have ended cleanly in 2008 with The Odd Couple and nobody would have complained. Instead, they spent years talking about a third album that never came — until last year, when they finally cleared their schedules and decided to close the chapter the right way.
The lead single "Pictures" is the first new Gnarls Barkley music in 18 years, and it sounds exactly like what it is: two people reconnecting with something they made together when they were younger. CeeLo sings about riding Atlanta's MARTA train system as a kid, cutting school alone from 8am to 2:30pm. Danger Mouse builds it around strings, keys, and a steady drumbeat that feels wistful without being sentimental.
The album is 13 tracks. It opens with "Tomorrow Died Today" and closes with "Sorry" and "Accept It." That's a tracklist that sounds like a conversation with time, which is exactly what this album appears to be.
Atlanta drops March 6 via 10k Projects/Atlantic Records. The "Pictures" single is out now.
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