Why hasn’t Frank Ocean dropped Boys Don’t Cry yet?

Frank Ocean is building an object, and although we know what it’s made of, we have no idea what it will be. He knows people are watching and wondering, so his moves are calculated and deliberate. The process continues day in and day out, as he pulls from a water bottle and heat waves distort the image, while we stare at our phones and wonder why it takes so long to finish a stupid piece of furniture.

Frank Ocean is building an album, and although we know his style from past work, we have no idea how it will turn out. He knows people are eager and expectant, so his pieces are intricate and thoughtful. The process continues year in and year out, as he tests melodies and collaborates with artists, while we stare at our phones and wonder why it takes so long to finish this freaking album.

Days before the supposed release of Boys Don’t Cry, Frank Ocean began sharing a touching art installation on his website – but because Friday marked another missed ‘deadline’ for the album, his fan base has been feeling baffled, frustrated, and betrayed. Attracted to his 2012 hit album Channel Orange, millions of fans have been eager to hear new material from him, but have only seen a trail of false release dates. Social media has been swarming with the aftermath of this most recent disappointment, spitting out confused statuses about “taunting us” and more explicit tweets demanding that he release “our” album. But if we could step back for a moment, we’d realize that this is exactly the culture that Endless is trying to fight.

The breakneck pace of modern media has distorted the way we view and appreciate art. In the same way we have an abundance of information and entertainment, we also have an abundance of art; we can access works from hundreds (if not thousands) of years ago, and are empowered to create our own products, images, and sounds using personal technology. For the first time ever, we can have very specific artistic tastes and still find new material we enjoy every day.

The constant promise of high-quality art/products/services/you-name-it has spoiled us with instant gratification, so we have, as a culture, become addicted. We are so rarely denied access to art or information that when Frank Ocean makes us wait, we face the pain and frustration of withdrawal. In the words of MTV columnist Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib:

“We are at a point where the prospective album itself is now secondary to wanting Frank Ocean himself to serve a specific purpose, to behave like the pop star he is, to be visible and accessible to his many fans.”

…but haven’t we heard all this before? Yes, ad nauseam, but that’s not what Frank Ocean is trying to tell us. The beauty of Endless is in its perspective: as consumers, we can skirt around the dull anticipation of waiting for albums to drop, but that’s never been true for the artists behind them. We may not have to wait for music anymore, but musicians certainly do.

Endless, I believe, represents this painstaking process.

The rough sounds of sawing wood and slicing metal are the works in progress – the early drafts of melodies that dissolve into soothing excerpts of orchestral and synthetic music. We only see Frank Ocean when he works, as usual; his personal life has been carefully shielded from public view and scrutiny. The final product will likely be a metaphor for the entire album. And, unfortunately, the droning siren in the background might well be his nagging fan base.

Waiting to access art may be frustrating, but waiting and working to perfect art must be Endless. So thank you, Frank Ocean, for waiting for us.