At two minutes and eighteen seconds, In My Room is as short as it is compulsively listenable. “ In My Room” premiered without any prior notice on the 2nd of November, spilling lusciously out of an entirely liquid auralscape right into our ears. “DHL” plays out more like an experimentation with sound and meaning than it does like a conventional linear ‘song’ - disjointed, as if smoke were evaporating off of Ocean’s voice as it mechanizes and morphs, refusing any form of constancy. The lyrics are shorter now, Ocean’s voice striking a balance between a longing and a kind of mechanicity. The beat comes to the fore, sultry and warm at 1:40, almost giving off an electro-geared Daniel Caesar feeling.

A starry track wandering through mixed sounds, “DHL” switches up unexpectedly with Ocean’s distorted vocals sometimes swimming in “too-”close to the listeners’ ears before floating away to linger at a careful distance. Arriving slyly on the 19th of October, it was originally teased on Ocean’s Instagram story all the way back in December 2018. And now, for the ultimate thrill, folks, it’s Frank Ocean’s turn. Hip-hop and R&B in 2019 has only been getting richer and fuller by the second if the all new albums, EPs and projects of major artists like Tyler, the Creator, Brockhampton, Jaden Smith, Stormzy, Kanye West, Slowthai and Doja Cat are anything to go by.

Ocean has been taking his fans through a suspenseful wringer, sometimes dropping snippets here and there and other times premiering entire singles unannounced.

Slated to release in 2020, FO3 is more conjecture than confirmed project at this point. His new project, poised potentially to be Ocean’s third studio album ( FO3*), is shrouded in mystery with fragments being gleaned from a range of different sources in order to put a comprehensive picture together. It’s been two years of frantic, impatient waiting but Frank Ocean has finally released new music, much to the relief of all us clamorous, admiring fans. Three new songs cement Frank Ocean’s position as the most articulate and important musician in contemporary R&B today.

Frank ocean albums by the seasnos