Last month, Frank Ocean restocked vinyl editions of Blonde for the first time since its inception, selling out mere days later. Those who were lucky enough are now receiving their purchases, along with a poster that seems to confirm a forthcoming album.
As some have revealed on social media, the backside of the poster tells a story about a “Recording Artist” that is presumed to be Ocean himself:
“In the summer of 2019, Blonded produced a photo series shot on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019 by photographer Michael Marcelle. The photo series follows the story of a fictitious Recording Artist as he navigates the radio system.”
As the story continues, we learn that — at one point — the Recording Artist preferred to release singles over full-length LPs, as he “believes the latter to be outdated, and that releasing singles is more suited to modern consumption habits where people curate their own playlists, which are then shared within private circles.” It ends with the individual having a change of heart: “The Recording Artist has since changed his mind about the singles model and is again interested in more durational bodies of work.”
As previously reported by REVOLT, Frank Ocean wiped out his Instagram account back in November of last year. As a result, fans quickly began to speculate that this marked the first part of a new album campaign. Ocean has yet to confirm or deny whether or not the social media move was for that purpose.
Blonde, Ocean’s second official LP, made landfall in 2016 with 17 songs and uncredited contributions from the likes of KOHH, Rosie Watson, André 3000, Austin Feinstein, Sebastian, Jazmine Sullivan, Kim Burrell, Yung Lean, and Beyoncé. The project was met with universal acclaim, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 276,000 album-equivalent units sold. Blonde has also been certified platinum in both the United States and the United Kingdom.