It all started last July… When Frank Ocean announced to fans across the world that the follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2012 album, Channel Orange, would finally be released, we all sat around eagerly awaiting its inevitable release. But, 2015 came and went, and it went without another peep from Ocean about when his next album, Boys Don’t Cry, would finally be unveiled.
Even July of 2016 didn’t behold much news about the album, and some restless fans probably expected that Boys Don’t Cry would never come out. Then, all of a sudden, earlier this week, The New York Times reported that Ocean’s new album would be released this Friday as an Apple Music exclusive. The news comes from some allegedly involved in the release of the album, which is expected to include a major video, and Ocean’s own printed publication called “Boys Don’t Cry”.
Those of us without Apple Music subscriptions will either have to bite the bullet and subscribe to their streaming platform, which has also struck exclusive deals with Drake, Future, and Chance the Rapper in the recent past, or wait around two weeks for the album to get its expected worldwide release. Although The New York Times source remained anonymous, at this point, Frank Ocean fans will take any bit of hope for the new album that’s available.
Aside from the recent New York Times article, there have been other subtle notions that Boys Don’t Cry will be released soon. This past week, a mysterious, nondescript video appeared on Ocean’s website for his upcoming album, showing a pair a of workbenches in an empty room. The video was apparently directed by Francisco Soriano, who took credit for the strange broadcast on a now-deleted Instagram post on Monday. Although little information was given about the video or the album beyond that, some fans noticed the Apple Music watermark on the video feed, prompting rumors that Boys Don’t Cry would be coming any day now.
Frank Ocean has been relatively reclusive over the last year or so, speaking out publicly about Prince’s death and the recent Orlando shooting, but not much else other than that. Musically, Ocean has appeared on Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo, and also helped British electronic mastermind James Blake co-write his last album. After his 2012 release Channel Orange was nominated for six Grammy Awards, expectations are certainly high for Ocean, who has been biding his time with his new project.
All signs point to a release this week, and hopefully that’s the case, as many of his fans (myself included) are growing restless waiting for fresh R&B jams from Ocean. Needless to say, if and when the long-awaited album drops this week, it’ll be the talk of the music world for months to come.
