Pitchfork has reported that Frank Ocean has allegedly finished recording a new album, as a series of cryptic posts on his Tumblr page seem to indicate the completion of a new record. At the end of Cyber Monday, which saw Ocean release physical copies of his visual album Endless for the first time, Ocean posted a short statement on his Tumblr: “Well I️ made the album before 30, I JUST AINT PUT THAT BITCH OUT!” Considering Ocean turned 30 a month ago, the post would seem to hint at a tweet from 2012 where he mentioned he would do five albums before his 30th birthday.
This would mark the first release for Ocean as an independent artist, as he was released from his tumultuous contract with Def Jam records last year after releasing Blonde. While Blonde racked up massive sales and stellar reviews, its late release date made it ineligible for last year’s Grammy’s, and it was subsequently shut out of Grammy nominations this year.
This is exciting news for music fans to hear as Ocean has been on fire this decade, turning out a series of incredible albums, including 2016’s Blonde and 2012’s Channel Orange. He has been busy recently, releasing a new song earlier this year while also performing a scorching set at the FYF Fest and guesting on the new Jay-Z record 4:44. There are still no other details as to what Ocean’s plans are for release or any timetable for this new set of recordings to come out.
Photo credit Marisa Rose Ficara