After waiting over four years, fans of Frank Ocean can finally rejoice. On Saturday, August 20, Frank Ocean released his long-awaited album, Blond, on Apple Music independently.
The title itself is very much the style of Frank Ocean: its different spellings accompany the sensuality of both masculine and feminine styles that Frank Ocean adopts, as suggested by BETs article, “Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’ Marks a Shift in the R&B Experience for Women.”
The album focuses on his past relationships in a different sensual experience than his previous album. Blond, as a follow-up to Channel Orange, depicts the maturity of Ocean, from heartbroken crooner to reflective adult.
The tracks Ocean assembled on the new album portray a heartfelt reflection of pivotal moments in his childhood. The track “Ivy” follows a failed relationship that has haunted him and shaped the construction of his emotional walls. The album also explores the effects of materialism. On the track Nikes, Ocean raps about how pleasure is found in the materials that are attributed great value, like Nike shoes.
Through the album’s entirety, the tracks follow Ocean’s train of thought. He explores his childhood, emotional walls, and his experience with sex and drugs. Many students of Lake Forest College have thoughts on the new album’s progression from his previous style.
Ocean uses “interesting new musical styles and they work very well throughout the album,” Louisa Van Akkren ’18 said.
“I thought it was innovative,” Lily Collins ’18 said. “The fact that it took four years for [the album] to come out increased anticipation.”
Qiaira Riley ’18 summed it up best: “You know when you haven’t eaten all day, and when you do it tastes so good? That’s how I feel about the album.”
The anticipation surrounding the new album has had an effect on the popularity and success of Blond. Having talked to some of the student-fans of Ocean, it has been clear that they have been very pleased with the album. The tracks assembled on the album depict the emotions that could not be shared with Channel Orange. The evolution of Frank Ocean’s musical style has developed with the four-year gap.
The heartbreak crooner still lives on in Blond, but Ocean has learned to open up with detailed emotions about his childhood anguishes. Ocean’s road to maturity of the heart while dealing with the effects drugs and love could heavily influence the emotional walls of the listener. As Riley said, “It was lit!”
