Last year, TV On The Radio returned to the stage, playing their first shows in nine years. They've got more coming up; they were just announced for the throwback indie festival Just Like Heaven. Meanwhile, lead singer Tunde Adebimpe has a thriving career as a character actor. Last year, he was really good in Twisters, and he played the main character's dad on the Star Wars TV show Skeleton Crew. Now, on top of all of that, Adebimpe is announcing his first-ever solo album. It's called Thee Black Boltz, and it arrives in April.
We already knew this was coming, though we didn't know the details. Back in October, Adebimpe released the solo single "Magnetic" and announced that the album was on the way, though he didn't share any details. As it turns out, Adebimpe has been mulling the idea of Thee Black Boltz since 2019, and he's been actively developing it for a few years. The title evokes the Marvel character Black Bolt, the Inhumans leader who never speaks because his voice is powerful enough to level cities. That seems pretty appropriate for the soft-spoken, huge-voiced Adebimpe, but he had something else in mind with that title. Here's how he describes it:
The sparks of inspiration/motivation/hope that flash up in the midst of (and sometimes as a result of) deep grief, depression or despair. Sort of like electrons building up in storm clouds clashing until they fire off lightning and illuminate a way out, if only for a second... Also, It’s a good name for a cool metal band, and I think that most people would describe me as akin to a very cool metal band.
Adebimpe put Thee Black Boltz together in his Los Angeles studio, with help from Wilder Zoby, a multi-instrumentalist who's worked with Run The Jewels. Today, he's shared the new song "Drop," propulsive and emotional bedroom-rocker built on a human-beatbox loop. Adebimpe already recorded a song called "Drop" for a sculpture installation in 2017, but this "Drop" has nothing to do with that "Drop." Below, check out the new "Drop" and the tracklist for Thee Black Boltz.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Thee Black Boltz"
02 "Magnetic"
03 "Ate The Moon"
04 "Pinstack"
05 "Drop"
06 "ILY"
07 "The Most"
08 "God Knows"
09 "Blue"
10 "Somebody New"
11 "Streetlight Nuevo"
The Black Boltz is out 4/18 on Sub Pop.
