Photo Credit: Xaviera Simmons
Tunde Adebimpe has formally set out on a new chapter in his career today by announcing Thee Black Boltz, his debut solo studio album. Set to arrive on April 18 via Sub Pop, the vaunted indie label to which he signed back in October 2024, the TV on the Radio frontman’s first release independent of his usual outfit conveys his introspective meditations with electrifying production choices. Adebimpe has previewed this singular sound with “Drop,” the album’s second advance single.
Adebimpe’s forthcoming offering extends from TV On The Radio’s recent revival as a new avenue for him to explore songwriting and performance styles beyond his typical output. The artist’s bold new decisions are on display in the richly textured “Drop,” which builds out from looped beatboxing to a spiraling, soul-searching odyssey. “It was my way of building a rock or a platform for myself in the middle of this fucking ocean,” the artist said of the album and its part in processing his personal grief and a world in turmoil.
“Drop” follows “Magnetic,” which arrived with the announcement of Adebimpe’s signing as a solo act last year. That first track would be right at home among TV On The Radio’s highlights, staying true to the band’s barrage of lo-fi electric surges and tenderly disjointed melodies with a high-flying, dynamic vocal performance from Adebimpe.
Thee Black Boltz is produced by Adebimpe and Wilder Zoby, the latter of whom also sat as executive producer. Additional production and instrumental contributions came from Jaleel Bunton and Jahphet Landis (of TV on the Radio), among others, but the ideas executed on the album were Adebimpe’s own from start to finish “I’ve been doing this thing with this group of people for so long, that I can just have a vague sketch of a concept and I know Jaleel or Kyp will have five brilliant ideas on where it can go,” he detailed. “But for Thee Black Boltz, I didn’t have that scaffolding to hang on. That was both terrifying and exhilarating.”
Thee Black Boltz is available to pre-order and pre-save now. Watch the official visualizer for “Drop” below, and read on for the album’s complete tracklist.
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Thee Black Boltz – Tunde Adebimpe:
1. Thee Black Boltz
2. Magnetic
3. Ate The Moon
4. Pinstack
5. Drop
6. ILY
7. The Most
8. God Knows
9. Blue
10. Somebody New
11. Streetlight Nuevo
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