diff --git a/beets/dbcore/db.py b/beets/dbcore/db.py
index 97a4a7ce3..3195b52c9 100755
--- a/beets/dbcore/db.py
+++ b/beets/dbcore/db.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import sqlite3
 import contextlib
 
 import beets
-from beets.util.functemplate import Template
+from beets.util import functemplate
 from beets.util import py3_path
 from beets.dbcore import types
 from .query import MatchQuery, NullSort, TrueQuery
@@ -597,7 +597,7 @@ class Model(object):
         """
         # Perform substitution.
         if isinstance(template, six.string_types):
-            template = Template(template)
+            template = functemplate.template(template)
         return template.substitute(self.formatted(for_path),
                                    self._template_funcs())
 
diff --git a/beets/library.py b/beets/library.py
index 103054fd3..9a9d95256 100644
--- a/beets/library.py
+++ b/beets/library.py
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ from beets import plugins
 from beets import util
 from beets.util import bytestring_path, syspath, normpath, samefile, \
     MoveOperation, lazy_property
-from beets.util.functemplate import Template
+from beets.util.functemplate import template, Template
 from beets import dbcore
 from beets.dbcore import types
 import beets
@@ -867,7 +867,7 @@ class Item(LibModel):
         if isinstance(path_format, Template):
             subpath_tmpl = path_format
         else:
-            subpath_tmpl = Template(path_format)
+            subpath_tmpl = template(path_format)
 
         # Evaluate the selected template.
         subpath = self.evaluate_template(subpath_tmpl, True)
@@ -947,7 +947,7 @@ class Album(LibModel):
         'releasegroupdisambig': types.STRING,
         'rg_album_gain':        types.NULL_FLOAT,
         'rg_album_peak':        types.NULL_FLOAT,
-        'r128_album_gain':      types.PaddedInt(6),
+        'r128_album_gain':      types.NullPaddedInt(6),
         'original_year':        types.PaddedInt(4),
         'original_month':       types.PaddedInt(2),
         'original_day':         types.PaddedInt(2),
@@ -1146,7 +1146,7 @@ class Album(LibModel):
         image = bytestring_path(image)
         item_dir = item_dir or self.item_dir()
 
-        filename_tmpl = Template(
+        filename_tmpl = template(
             beets.config['art_filename'].as_str())
         subpath = self.evaluate_template(filename_tmpl, True)
         if beets.config['asciify_paths']:
diff --git a/beets/ui/__init__.py b/beets/ui/__init__.py
index 327db6b04..622a1e7f0 100644
--- a/beets/ui/__init__.py
+++ b/beets/ui/__init__.py
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ from beets import logging
 from beets import library
 from beets import plugins
 from beets import util
-from beets.util.functemplate import Template
+from beets.util.functemplate import template
 from beets import config
 from beets.util import confit, as_string
 from beets.autotag import mb
@@ -616,7 +616,7 @@ def get_path_formats(subview=None):
     subview = subview or config['paths']
     for query, view in subview.items():
         query = PF_KEY_QUERIES.get(query, query)  # Expand common queries.
-        path_formats.append((query, Template(view.as_str())))
+        path_formats.append((query, template(view.as_str())))
     return path_formats
 
 
diff --git a/beets/util/functemplate.py b/beets/util/functemplate.py
index 6a34a3bb3..5d9900f0b 100644
--- a/beets/util/functemplate.py
+++ b/beets/util/functemplate.py
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import dis
 import types
 import sys
 import six
+import functools
 
 SYMBOL_DELIM = u'$'
 FUNC_DELIM = u'%'
@@ -553,8 +554,23 @@ def _parse(template):
     return Expression(parts)
 
 
-# External interface.
+def cached(func):
+    """Like the `functools.lru_cache` decorator, but works (as a no-op)
+    on Python < 3.2.
+    """
+    if hasattr(functools, 'lru_cache'):
+        return functools.lru_cache(maxsize=128)(func)
+    else:
+        # Do nothing when lru_cache is not available.
+        return func
 
+
+@cached
+def template(fmt):
+    return Template(fmt)
+
+
+# External interface.
 class Template(object):
     """A string template, including text, Symbols, and Calls.
     """
diff --git a/docs/changelog.rst b/docs/changelog.rst
index 145eed330..53be0befd 100644
--- a/docs/changelog.rst
+++ b/docs/changelog.rst
@@ -117,6 +117,10 @@ Some improvements have been focused on improving beets' performance:
   to be displayed.
   Thanks to :user:`pprkut`.
   :bug:`3089`
+* Another query optimization works by compiling templates once and reusing
+  them instead of recompiling them to print out each matching object.
+  Thanks to :user:`SimonPersson`.
+  :bug:`3258`
 * :doc:`/plugins/absubmit`, :doc:`/plugins/badfiles`: Analysis now works in
   parallel (on Python 3 only).
   Thanks to :user:`bemeurer`.
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index e3250bd6b..8736f0f3c 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 # and then run "tox" from this directory.
 
 [tox]
-envlist = py27-test, py37-test, py38-test, py27-flake8, docs
+envlist = py27-test, py37-test, py27-flake8, docs
 
 # The exhaustive list of environments is:
 # envlist = py{27,34,35}-{test,cov}, py{27,34,35}-flake8, docs