Highsnobiety

Frank Ocean recently unveiled a new visual project, titled Endless, to go along with his highly anticipated album Blonde, and the dust hasn't quite settled. Even the video for "Nikes," seen below, is lighting up the web.

While fans may still be digesting and processing the release, critics haven't wasted any time sinking their teeth in over the weekend. After a four-year wait, reviews remain largely positive, suggesting that Frank was right to take his time. Not only did some of the world's foremost publications and media outlets provide their two cents on the album, but fellow musicians and collaborators were also quick to sing praise.

Your Highsnobiety privacy settings have blocked this Twitter post.

Here's what the critics had to say...

"Ocean sings like he's in church, and his tone is open, a quiver of emotion audible. An organ plays, and it's as if he's envisioning the Last Supper: "The table is prepared for you." It turns out that while his fans were busy waiting, Frank Ocean was preparing a feast."

Greg Kot, The Chicago Tribune (4 Stars out of 4)

"Blonde makes for sensationally beautiful background music that can morph into a bizarre hodgepodge of disparate ideas when you concentrate on bringing it into the foreground."

Neil McCormick, The Telegraph (4 Stars out of 5)

"If one word could summarise Blonde, even more than Endless, it is liquid: there is a fluidity here that is both flow and immersion. Tempos are set to easy and there are few concessions to bass/drums as scene-setters."

Bernard Zuel, Sydney Morning Herald (4 Stars out of 4)

"Blonde and Endless are strong albums that advance Mr. Ocean’s reputation and serve as worthy successors to Channel Orange. It turns out the long wait, made longer by a coy rollout strategy, was worth it, as Mr. Ocean delivers two disks that expand the vocabulary of rock and pop and give insight into the heart and mind of a gifted musician.

Jim Fusilli, Wall Street Journal (No Rating)

"From a distance, Mr. Ocean’s return came in fits and starts, with release plans hinted at, then abandoned. But what Mr. Ocean has achieved with the complexity of this rollout — as well as his ability to mold corporate motives to his benefit — is an almost complete reframing of his public narrative."

Jon Caramanica, New York Times (No Rating)

"It’s a complicated, indulgent, moody record, though, one that deals in textures and impressions more than in pop hooks and instant thrills. Its superstar guest spots are woven into the textures, not signposted."

Joe Muggs, The Guardian (4 Stars out of 5)

"Sonically, it [Blonde] has the same contemplative and poetic tone as Ocean's lionized 2012 debut. In fact, it is so meditative that there are few beats at all; most of the Apple Music version is just gauzy laptop washes, pianos, laconically strummed guitars and his voice. He seems to have stripped himself to his bare thoughts, some of which he expresses inchoately."

Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone (No Rating)

"His melodies are more attuned to specific states of mind rather than grand pop gestures. The words are a constant swirl of observation and flashes of memory that he conveys in a variety of ways, from bursts of confident hip-hop cadence to classic R&B belting and wandering, sing-song-y introspection."

- Kevin Ritchie, Now Toronto (No Rating)

"Blonde is, at first glance, soft; it feels pliant and yielding in a way that Ocean’s past works haven’t. But just beyond that surface is a hardened core. Ocean’s voice, always easy above all else, often sounds stony but apologetic, like he’s talking to someone he’s afraid of hurting. Blonde is both full and empty; love is never allowed to exist without lack."

- Lizzie Plaugic, The Verge (No Rating)

"Instead of huge and complicated instrumentals and explosive choruses, Blonde finds power in simplicity and raw emotion."

- Anthony Fantano, The Needle Drop (8 out of 10)

"Four years after the landmark Channel Orange, two new releases from Frank Ocean find him writing richly emotional songs for a quieter, more meditative space."

- Ryan Dombal, Pitchfork (9 out of 10)

"His highly anticipated follow-up album grew in size and importance in the years following 2012, in part because he himself felt the need to craft genuine art. By definition, it’s a musician’s job to create music, but nowhere in the contract does it list meeting the expectations of fans. He owed himself a new catharsis, the type of internal searching and external experimentation that sees a human undergo changes."

-Nina Corcoran, Consequence of Sound (No Rating)

On another note, here's what Reddit users had to say...

Your Highsnobiety privacy settings have blocked this Reddit thread.
Your Highsnobiety privacy settings have blocked this Reddit thread.
Your Highsnobiety privacy settings have blocked this Reddit thread.
Your Highsnobiety privacy settings have blocked this Reddit thread.
Your Highsnobiety privacy settings have blocked this Reddit thread.
Your Highsnobiety privacy settings have blocked this Reddit thread.
Your Highsnobiety privacy settings have blocked this Reddit thread.

Stream  Frank Ocean's Blonde album now here.

We Recommend
  • Demon Dayz Album cover
    The Best Album Covers Of All Time Every Highsnobiety Reader Should Know
    • Culture
  • Highsnobiety
    Patina Maldives Is Where Art, Culture, and Mindfulness Collide
    • Art & Design
    • sponsored
  • Frank Ocean Blonded 2023 collection
    Frank Ocean Just Dropped New Merch & Music (!)
    • Style
  • How Mammut Went from Mountain Safety to Frank Ocean-approved Style
    How Mammut Went from Mountain Safety to Frank Ocean-approved Style
    • Style
    • sponsored
  • rihanna blonde hair 2023 outfit
    Blonde Rihanna Is as Fun & ‘Fitted as You’d Expect
    • Style
  • Image on Highsnobiety
What To Read Next
  • Nike air max wallet
    This Ain't an Air Max Sneaker. It's Nike's Newest Accessory
    • Sneakers
  • nike air max day 2024 releases
    Nike Air Max Day 2024: Everything Air Lovers Need to Know
    • Sneakers
  • Yayoi Kusama x Louis Vuitton
    In an Era of Collaboration Saturation, How Do Brands Stand Out?
    • Style
  • END. x HOKA sneaker collaboration 2024.
    Can Anyone Stop HOKA?
    • Sneakers
  • Willy Chavarria FW24 Parfums de Marly
    For FW24, Fashion Got Fragrant
    • Beauty
  • comme des garcons new balance 610 snaekers
    COMME des GARÇONS' Dropping the Perfect New Balance Slip-On
    • Sneakers
*If you submitted your e-mail address and placed an order, we may use your e-mail address to inform you regularly about similar products without prior explicit consent. You can object to the use of your e-mail address for this purpose at any time without incurring any costs other than the transmission costs according to the basic tariffs. Each newsletter contains an unsubscribe link. Alternatively, you can object to receiving the newsletter at any time by sending an e-mail to info@highsnobiety.com

Web Accessibility Statement

Titel Media GmbH (Highsnobiety), is committed to facilitating and improving the accessibility and usability of its Website, www.highsnobiety.com. Titel Media GmbH strives to ensure that its Website services and content are accessible to persons with disabilities including users of screen reader technology. To accomplish this, Titel Media GmbH tests, remediates and maintains the Website in-line with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which also bring the Website into conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Disclaimer

Please be aware that our efforts to maintain accessibility and usability are ongoing. While we strive to make the Website as accessible as possible some issues can be encountered by different assistive technology as the range of assistive technology is wide and varied.

Contact Us

If, at any time, you have specific questions or concerns about the accessibility of any particular webpage on this Website, please contact us at accessibility@highsnobiety.com, +49 (0)30 235 908 500. If you do encounter an accessibility issue, please be sure to specify the web page and nature of the issue in your email and/or phone call, and we will make all reasonable efforts to make that page or the information contained therein accessible for you.