Photo by Clint Spaulding/Shutterstock

Frank Ocean has made two songs and their remixes available exclusively via vinyl, which has some fans praising his innovative approach to music distribution—while other fans (say, those who don't have record players) are feeling slighted.

Ocean premiered the tracks for the first time back in October on his Beats 1 radio show "blended RADIO" and announced the vinyl release months ago, and now the songs have finally arrived. Fortunately, fans who didn't order the singles can sate their thirst through a few clips that several anarchist fans posted online. The songs, entitled "April" and "Cayendo," can be heard in part thanks to a few posts that have managed to gain immortality through digital shares.



Frank Ocean - Cayendo (Sango Remix)www.youtube.com

Ocean was supposed to headline Coachella this April, an event that was postponed to October. Still, his headlining gig had fans thinking that 2020 would see Ocean releasing new work, and even his first LP since 2016's Blonde—an album that topped many best-of-decade lists and continues to resonate as strongly as ever, especially in uncertain times.

For a while, thanks to that album's success, Ocean seemed to reach a kind of godlike status in the music industry. He was reclusive, mysterious, and untouchable, a genius in the truest sense. But his more recent efforts at PR, like the PrEP+ club event he hosted in New York, fizzled a bit as fans criticized the event's lack of inclusivity and sensitivity.

"I'm an artist, it's core to my job to imagine realities that don't necessarily exist," Ocean clarified in a Tumblr post about his intentions behind the event.

Most likely, Ocean's decision to release new songs via vinyl is just another part of his great vision of a better or different world. Unfortunately, visions of a better world are always disconnected from the actuality of this world, and Ocean's vision means we'll all have to wait for the privilege to stream the songs until an indefinite date. Knowing the artist (or rather, knowing the reflection he wants us to know), it'll pay off at some point—we're just operating on his time.

MUSIC

RELEASE RADAR | Premiere from Church Girls

PLUS | Features for ASHRR and Daniella Mason

Marissa Carroll

It is all about the stand alone tracks and videos this week.

RELEASE RADAR is here to give you the breakdown of your top singles, albums, and videos to check out as you head into your weekend. Get ready to jam out with some of our favorite up-and-coming artists, plus celebrate new stuff from those you already know and love.

SINGLES...

⭐️ PREMIERE ⭐️ | Church Girls | "Just Like You"

Courtesy of Clarion Call Media

An upcoming track from the band's soon-to-be-released EP is sweet and simple, the way summer should be for everyone. The band's founder Mariel Beaumont had the following to say about the single:

"Just Like You" is about falling for someone who over-indulges in all your bad habits -- you want to get swept away, but you know it could lead you down a dark path. I wrote it with my friend Molly Martin in Nashville - it was my first and only co-writing session and it was a blast. The rest of the band was psyched about the initial demo and helped turn it into a super fun song that we all love playing live.

You Might Also Like:Palehound, Angel Olsen, Superchunk

Follow Church Girls on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Keep ReadingShow less