Thee Black Boltz

Last updated

Thee Black Boltz
Tunde Adebimpe - Thee Black Boltz.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 18, 2025 (2025-04-18)
Length35:15
Label Sub Pop
Producer
Singles from Thee Black Boltz
  1. "Magnetic"
    Released: October 29, 2024
  2. "Drop"
    Released: January 28, 2025
  3. "God Knows"
    Released: March 2, 2025
  4. "Somebody New"
    Released: April 15, 2025

Thee Black Boltz is the debut studio album by American musician and actor Tunde Adebimpe. It was released on April 18, 2025, by Sub Pop. [1]

Contents

Background

The album was recorded in a studio in Los Angeles, by multi-instrumentalist Wilder Zoby, who also co-produced it with Adebimpe. [2] [3] Consisting of eleven songs ranging between two and five minutes each, excluding the opening track, the album has a total runtime of thirty five minutes and fifteen seconds. The first single, "Drop", described as "propulsive and emotional bedroom-rocker built on a human-beatbox loop", was released on January 28, 2025. [2] The second single, "Somebody New", was released on April 15, 2025, three days prior to the album's release. [4]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10 [5]
Metacritic 80/100 [6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The AV Club A- [7]
Clash Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
DIY Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
The Line of Best Fit Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
The London Standard Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Paste 8.1/10 [13]
Pitchfork 7.6/10 [14]

AllMusic's Heather Phares wrote in her review of the album that "On Thee Black Boltz, he distinguishes himself as a solo act while connecting to the broader strokes of his artistry." [1] The London Standard gave the album a rating of four stars and commented, "On 'Somebody New' and 'God Knows', you have a sense of despair in the face of authoritarianism, and Thee Black Boltz are the flashes of lightening that Adebimpe is using to cut through it." [11]

The Guardian gave the album four stars, calling it "a sparkling solo debut." In her review Kitty Empire stated "Everything about Adebimpe’s magnetic presence fronting of one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the 00s is present and correct on Thee Black Boltz: his warm fluency, wistful anger and genre versatility." She lauded lead single 'Magnetic', in particular, saying Adebimpe's "pop instincts have come to the fore on these 11 streamlined songs; witness Magnetic, one of the best things he’s ever done." [15]

Pitchfork rated the album 7.6 out of ten and remarked, "The TV on the Radio singer sharpens his voice on his debut solo album, using bold synth melodies and driving beats as the backdrop to some of his most nuanced performances yet." [14] The Line of Best Fit assigned it a rating of eight out of ten, stating "even though Thee Black Boltz may fall short in comparison with the band's best records, it still offers flashes of brilliance and maybe even some comfort if you're going through a difficult patch." [10]

DIY Mag gave it four stars and described it as "a dispatch from the eye of a storm rattling with grief and political anxiety, yet the clouds part for sparks of hope." [9] Clash stated, "It really spotlights his artistry and musical intelligence ranging from indie, electronic and folk," rating it eight out of ten. [8] The Observer remarked, "Everything about Adebimpe's magnetic presence fronting of one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the 00s is present and correct on Thee Black Boltz: his warm fluency, wistful anger and genre versatility." [12]

Paste scored it 8.1 out of ten and wrote in its review of the album that "Adebimpe remains defiantly human on his debut album, meditating in the chaos of creativity and untethered by genre—still evolving; still electric." [13] The AV Club gave the album a grade of "A-" and stated, "Adebimpe's debut solo LP, Thee Black Boltz, feels even more deliberate in its modesty—none of its 11 songs reach the kaleidoscopic color or maximalist production of vintage TV." [7] The Wall Street Journal remarked, "For all its imperfections, Thee Black Boltz is rarely boring—Mr. Adebimpe's poetic sensibility and ear for distinctive melody keep things interesting even when a song has less force than it should, and the album is tight, focused and never drags." [16]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Tunde Adebimpe.

Thee Black Boltz track listing
No.TitleMusicProducer(s)Length
1."Thee Black Boltz"
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Brian Bender
  • Wilder Zoby
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Bender
  • Zoby
0:36
2."Magnetic"
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Zoby
  • Burton [c]
2:30
3."Ate the Moon"
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Echo Adebimpe
  • Zoby
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Zoby
4:01
4."Pinstack"
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Bunton
  • Pat Lukens
  • Zoby
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Zoby
  • Burton [c]
3:07
5."Drop"
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Bender
  • Alissia Benveniste
  • Landis
  • Mason Sacks
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Landis
  • Bender [a]
  • Sacks [a]
4:16
6."ILY"
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Zoby
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Zoby
2:53
7."The Most"
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Zoby
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Zoby
3:54
8."God Knows"
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Nicole Lawrence
  • Zoby
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Zoby
3:48
9."Blue"
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Guillermo Brown
  • Zoby
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Zoby
3:03
10."Somebody New"
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Zoby
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Zoby
2:58
11."Streetlight Nuevo"
  • T. Adebimpe
  • Zoby
4:09

Notes

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Thee Black Boltz
Chart (2025)Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC) [17] 65
UK Album Downloads (OCC) [18] 35
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [19] 20

References

  1. 1 2 3 Phares, Heather. "Thee Black Boltz – Tunde Adebimpe". AllMusic . Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  2. 1 2 Breihan, Tom (January 28, 2025). "TV On The Radio's Tunde Adebimpe Announces Debut Solo Album Thee Black Boltz". Stereogum . Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  3. Martin, Andrea (January 28, 2025). "TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe announces debut album Thee Black Boltz and shares new song and video 'Drop'". Hot Press . Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  4. Blistein, Jon (April 15, 2025). "TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe Rediscovers His Dancing Shoes in 'Somebody New' Video". Rolling Stone . Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  5. "Thee Black Boltz by Tunde Adebimpe reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  6. "Thee Black Boltz by Tunde Adebimpe Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Reed, Ryan (April 18, 2025). "On his debut solo album, Tunde Adebimpe aims for genuine emotional catharsis". The AV Club . Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  8. 1 2 Connor, Christopher (April 17, 2025). "Tunde Adebimpe – Thee Black Boltz – Reviews". Clash Magazine . Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  9. 1 2 Sandiford, Kayla (April 16, 2025). "Tunde Adebimpe – Thee Black Boltz". DIY Mag . Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Peter, Attila (April 16, 2025). "Tunde Adebimpe: Thee Black Boltz review – brilliant flashes". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  11. 1 2 Robinson, Martin (April 18, 2025). "Album of the week: Thee Black Boltz by Tunde Adebimpe". The London Standard . Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  12. 1 2 Empire, Kitty (April 18, 2025). "Tunde Adebimpe: Thee Black Boltz review – a sparkling solo debut". The Observer . ISSN   0029-7712 . Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  13. 1 2 Green, Gavyn (April 17, 2025). "Tunde Adebimpe Starts a Conversation on Thee Black Boltz". Paste Magazine . Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  14. 1 2 Soto, Alfred (April 17, 2025). "Tunde Adebimpe: Thee Black Boltz". Pitchfork . Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  15. Empire, Kitty (April 18, 2025). "Tunde Adebimpe: Thee Black Boltz review – a sparkling solo debut". The Guardian .
  16. Richardson, Mark (April 15, 2025). "Thee Black Boltz by Tunde Adebimpe Review: A Solo Record's Homemade Sound". WSJ . Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  17. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  18. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  19. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 26, 2025.