Four years have passed since Frank Ocean released his stunning 17-track debut, Channel ORANGE—an album that disrupted heteronormative hip-hop through honest, poetic lyrics centered on sexual fluidity, self-discovery and love lost. The world has socially progressed since Ocean first announced his bisexuality on Tumblr in 2012, which is why there’s added pressure to his follow-up LP, Boys Don’t Cry. With his romantic, melancholic voice as its pillar, an even more emotive, walls-down project is expected from Ocean this time around.
The singer has delayed and delayed his long-awaited sophomore release, only recently alluding to a July drop with an updated website. Featuring an image of an old library card, Ocean traces all the months where rumors of a potential surprise release floated around the Internet. “Date Due” is branded at the top, confirming the arrival of something this month—hopefully at least a single. And although little is known about Ocean’s mystery album, his record label Def Jam has reportedly spent more than $1 million—the pressure’s on.