Enigmatic R&B singer Frank Ocean has unveiled "visual album" Endless as a precursor to another much-speculated new release – but will all the teasing be worth the wait?
Endless was released through Apple Music and features a 45-minute black and white video of Ocean lookalikes. It includes collaborations with James Blake, Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, Jazmine Sullivan, British R&B vocalist Sampha and producer Arca.
Frank Ocean - Endless from Audio Premieres on Vimeo.
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Apple Music also said fans should "keep an eye out this weekend for more from Frank", leading to speculation Ocean will be releasing a second album to follow up his critically acclaimed Channel Orange.
Rolling Stone has also confirmed that Endless is a different project from his "proper new album", which was called Boys Don't Cry until, says the music magazine, the singer scrapped the name.
Ocean's producer Malay explained the delay in an interview on Reddit, saying: "Art cannot be rushed."
The release of Endless, however, took fans by surprise, and caused Ocean to trend on Twitter for several hours. It also prompted confusion among commentators.
You've got to hand it to Frank Ocean for "pulling a Beyonce on us all" with the surprise drop of a visual album, says Beth Shilliday on Hollywood Life, and then it turns out this isn't even the actual album he's intending to put out.
"So what's going on?!"
She adds that some fans, feeling they are being messed about, have been "making their upset feelings known on Twitter" and calling Ocean "the ultimate troll".
So will the new album, whatever it ends up being called, be worth all of the fuss? For the moment it looks as if fans will have to keep an eye out over the weekend, when the real Frank Ocean album may, or may not, appear.
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