Frank Ocean just released a visual album called Endless and a video for a new single called “Nikes.” Now, he’s unveiled another new album. It's called Blond. The album title is stylized Blond on the cover artwork, but appears as Blonde in Apple Music. (In the long lead-up to the album’s reveal, it was known as Boys Don’t Cry.) It features “Nikes,” as well as songs titled “Ivy” and “White Ferrari.” Listen to the album here, and listen to previews of each song below. The cover photograph, below, was shot by Wolfgang Tillmans, whose song “Device Control” bookends Endless. Ocean has also shared alternate cover artwork via his Tumblr; see that below as well.
The album’s credits, listed in the long-hinted magazine that was handed out at pop-up shops tonight, include some enormous names: David Bowie, Kanye West, Jamie xx, Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, the Beatles, André 3000, Brian Eno, Pharrell, Elliott Smith, and more.
As some Boys Don’t Cry magazine-holders have noted, the tracklist for Blond listed in the magazine is different from the one that was released on Apple Music. This perhaps gives even more credence to his mysterious Tumblr post: “I got two versions.” The magazine tracklist does not include “Nikes,” for example.
In the lead-up to the album’s release, it’s been a series of teased dates and false starts. In late 2013, Ocean hinted that an album would arrive the following summer. Last year, he teased a July release date. Most recently, The New York Times reported that the album and an accompanying print publication would arrive on August 5. Now, there’s no more waiting, and he put out two albums.
Read “Frank Ocean’s Boys Don’t Cry: A Timeline,” and read his notes about the creation of the album and magazine.
Blonde:
01 Nikes
02 Ivy
03 Pink + White
04 Be Yourself
05 Solo
06 Skyline To
07 Self Control
08 Good Guy
09 Nights
10 Solo (Reprise)
11 Pretty Sweet
12 Facebook Story
13 Close to You
14 White Ferrari
15 Siegfried
16 Godspeed
17 Futura Free