Tunde Adebimpe Shares New Single 'God Knows'

Acclaimed TV On The Radio frontman and multi-hyphenate talent Tunde Adebimpe has released a new song "God Knows,” from his highly anticipated debut solo album, Thee Black Boltz. The album is set to be released on April 18th via Sub Pop Records. 

"God Knows" delves into the complexities of a bittersweet breakup, showcasing Adebimpe's distinctive vocals and introspective lyrics. The song captures the raw vulnerability of heartbreak as Adebimpe sings, "You're the worst thing I ever loved, And you're bad news but I still want to give you my love."

Of the latest single, the TV on the Radio frontman says  “Breaking up is hard to down dooby doo down do".  Tunde Adebimpe has also announced an intimate record release show at Los Angeles’ Zebulon on Thursday, April 17. Tickets are on sale now and are available HERE. 

This announcement comes on the heels of the vivid and introspective “Drop” earlier this year and last year’s lead single “Magnetic”.  Thee Black Boltz is produced by Tunde Adebimpe & Wilder Zoby, and executive produced by Zoby, with additional production and contributions from Jaleel Bunton & Jahphet Landis (of TV on the Radio), and more. Showcasing visionary soundscapes, the album is a nod to Adebimpe’s propensity to write and sing about the human condition – in all its forms, under all its stressors, both big and small. Pre-order the record HERE.

Thee Black Boltz is not a TV On The Radio album. But in a lot of ways, the excitement of doing something on his own for the first time ignited a similar spark in him as during the early TV On The Radio days. The songwriting process is the same, he says, but with his TVOTR bandmates, Adebimpe knows he doesn’t always have to complete his ideas. “I’ve been doing this thing with this group of people for so long, that I can just have a vague sketch of a concept and I know Jaleel or Kyp will have five brilliant ideas on where it can go,” he says. “But for Thee Black Boltz, I didn’t have that scaffolding to hang on. That was both terrifying and exhilarating.”

At the heart of the album is its title. It is his response to the macro unease of a post-pandemic world careening towards violent authoritarianism and the personal grief that has come from loss in recent years, specifically the sudden passing of his younger sister while making it. Thee Black Boltz is Adebimpe’s desperate grasping of small moments of joy amidst the dissonance and sadness, any way he can. Making this album, he says, was his way of processing everything: “It was my way of building a rock or a platform for myself in the middle of this f*cking ocean.”

And thus, Thee Black Boltz. As he writes in his notebook, “The sparks of inspiration/motivation / hope that flash up in the midst of (and sometimes as a result of) deep grief, depression or despair. Sort of like electrons building up in storm clouds clashing until they fire off lightning and illuminate a way out, if only for a second.”

“Also,” he adds. “it’s a good name for a cool metal band, and I think that most people would describe me as akin to a very cool metal band.” 

Photo credit: Xaviera Simmons