Frank Ocean fans, it looks like your patience is about to pay off.
After multiple false starts both from him and from rumors, the renowned singer/songwriter has announced that his long-awaited new album Boys Don't Cry will be released by the end of the month.
A visit to the site dedicated to the album, BoysDontCry.co, features a picture of a slip that says "Date Due," with over a dozen previous dates stamped on and scribbled out. A final date on the slip has the day scribbled out, but clearly says July 2016.
The picture shows that Ocean knows fans have been waiting, so the announcement comes as a sight for sore eyes - and likely some skepticism - for his supporters. Ocean's 2012 major label debut Channel Orange was one of the most renowned R&B albums of the last ten years, and fans were chomping at the bit when he announced the Boys Don't Cry magazine and album in an April 2015 blog post.
The original post on the site has a photo of him sitting by stacks of his Boys Don't Cry magazine, with two alternate covers shown. The photo caption: "“I got two versions. I got twoooo versions.” #ISSUE1 #ALBUM3 #JULY2015 #BOYSDONTCRY." Applicably, the first date on the slip has "July 02 2015" crossed out.
The year since then has felt like forever, with Frank generally staying silent amidst rumors implying multiple release dates, and Twitter users making memes to joke about the album delays. The most we've heard from him over the past year has been a cameo on Kanye West'sThe Life of Pablo and a touching letter written in light of the shooting at an LGBT nightclub in Orlando.
The few who have heard Boys Don't Cry are sworn to secrecy, but they have great things to say. James Blake says the new music is better than Channel Orange, and that it had an influence on his own writing for his latest album The Colour In Anything.
"I was more of a fan of him when I heard his newer music," Blake told Rolling Stone. "It's better. You grow", you improve, you nail a new message to the board. He's had time to mature. It's really cool to watch."
Chance The Rapper echoed Blake's commends, saying that the album is "amazing" in an interview with Complex.
"No-one is really able to find Frank when Frank goes away, literally no-one, not just publications," Chance said. "I know he's away making a masterpiece."
Hopefully, we'll be able to hear for ourselves by the end of the month.
