CD of The Week

Tunde Adebimpe - Thee Black Boltz (Sub Pop)

Eleven years have passed since the release of TV on the Radio’s last album, Seeds. There have been no official breakups or hiatus notices in that time, but the members of one of the best NYC bands to emerge in the 21st century have been busy with various projects. Singer Tunde Adebimpe has caught the acting bug, with small roles in films ranging from Noah Baumbach’s Academy Award-winning Marriage Story to the endearingly dopey legacy sequel, Twisters. Now, his first music in five years arrives in the form of a solo album, Thee Black Boltz, which derives inspiration from both tumultuous current events and his grief over the death of his sister from a heart attack in 2021. While the album’s release is unexpected, its high quality is to be expected, as Adebimpe re-establishes himself as a uniquely versatile singer with a strong feel for writing eclectic melodies.

For the most part, Thee Black Boltz doesn’t feel incredibly far removed from a TV on the Radio album, but there are two definite differences. First, is that the use of organic instrumentation is reduced significantly, with synths playing a dominant role. The first full song (the title track is essentially a short poem), “Magnetic” buzzes fast in an almost-EDM fashion with a strong hook, quirky lyrics (“out of the skillet, doing loops in the fire / what they gonna do with a lightning rider?), and cool production flourishes from collaborator Wilder Zoby (Run the Jewels). “Magnetic” and a few other songs on the record feel like sonic cousins to the funkier tunes in TV on the Radio’s catalog such as “Dancing Shoes” and “Repetition” but the lack of guitar and bass only makes them seem sparer and more unsettling.

The other significant difference between Thee Black Boltz and the highlights of Adebimpe’s main band’s discography is that the songs are more conventional in their structure and arrangements, which does dull the vitality of the album at times. Adebimpe can go from a sharp wail on the industrial-influenced “Ate the Moon” to a gentle croon on the semi-acoustic “ILY” with equal power, but the tracks generally lack the electrifying tempo and tone shifts of TV on the Radio classics like “Wolf Like Me” and “DLZ.”

The stretch of the album that comes closest to possessing this spark is the closing trio of songs. “Blue” is intense and twitchy with waves of sound that effectively convey the uneasy storyline of murderers entering a dance floor. “Somebody New” is the anthemic release afterward with a twinkly danceability that suggests CHVRCHES and marks exciting ground completely free of the paranoia or tension that generally marks Adebimpe’s music. Finally, “Streetlight Nuevo” combines a shimmering arrangement with the most hip-hop-influenced production on the album, making for a very arresting closer.

It’s been far too long since Adebimpe has shared his distinctive singing and songwriting voice and Thee Black Boltz is a fine return with some catchy earworms, ominous soundscapes, and evocative and personal lyrics. It may not reach the daring heights of TV on the Radio’s best work, but Adebimpe’s legacy is only bolstered by the versatility and passion evident throughout the album.

While there is no new music from Adebimpe’s core band, TV on the Radio is touring for the first time in eight years and they will be howling at Franklin Music Hall on Tuesday, July 29th.
Review by Sol