Tunde Adebimpe
Thee Black Boltz
Sub Pop
Jul 03, 2025
Net Unique
For 20 years, Tunde Adebimpe’s voice has been probably the most distinctive in indie rock—reedy and punky, but stuffed with deep soul—and on Thee Black Boltz, his first true solo album, it’s entrance and heart. Finest referred to as the co-founder and frontman of TV on the Radio, Adebimpe steps out on his personal right here with out stepping too far-off from the band’s sonic palette. Actually, a lot of Thee Black Boltz appears like a religious cousin to later TV on the Radio albums like Seeds and 9 Varieties of Gentle, albeit with softer edges and a extra introspective contact.
The album’s emotional heart is grief and resilience—Adebimpe started writing after the pandemic and within the wake of his youthful sister’s dying. That stress between loss and hope surfaces most powerfully on “Drop,” a sparse ballad that progressively builds with layered textures and beatboxed percussion till it swells right into a quietly radiant climax. It’s one of the best music right here, capturing a fragile however decided type of transcendence: “Forged a unprecedented spell / And rise into the night time.”
There are hits and misses—tracks like “Pinstack” and “ILY” really feel extra like filler than important cuts—however Adebimpe commits to each efficiency, and even the weaker songs have robust bones. “Magnetic,” “Any individual New,” and “Streetlight Nuevo” carry grit, bounce, and a melodic cost. “The Most” even dips into dub territory with shocking aptitude.
This isn’t a dramatic reinvention, and it in all probability doesn’t attempt to be. Thee Black Boltz doesn’t escape the shadow of TV on the Radio a lot as illuminate the elements of Adebimpe that had been all the time quietly pulsing beneath. It’s a human report, stuffed with looking out and survival. A strong debut that invitations us into his non-public storm—and finds a bit of lightning of its personal. (www.tundeadebimpe.bandcamp.com)
Creator ranking: 7/10