Frank Ocean is Done with Vulnerability on ‘In My Room’

In a cover interview with W Magazine, Frank Ocean shared that he is no longer sure if strength and vulnerability are compatible. From an artist whose albums delve deeply into his upbringing, past relationships, and fears and who shared his unreciprocated first love in an open letter he posted on Tumblr, this is a shocking revelation. In spite of Ocean’s avoidance of the public eye, his music is so powerful because it is honest and intimate. On “In My Room,” a single released on Nov. 2, Frank Ocean gives insight into what this turn away from vulnerability looks like. On the track, he moves away from R&B ballads and soulful lyrics, instead using pop-inspired beats and stream-of-consciousness lyricism.

The single opens with the repetition of a synth piano melody punctuated with smooth, thumping bass. Although the simple techno-pop beat doesn’t initially feel like Frank Ocean — most of his discography has mellow beats and instrumentals that are much more full — the change is far from an unwelcome one. The production is clean and spacious, and occasional laser sound effects prevent the beat from getting too repetitive. Frank Ocean enters the track with a long verse that explores fame, wealth, and sex with cleverly written wordplay. He changes subjects rapidly and seemingly at random, opening with the words, “No sleeper seat, that’s a mattress.” A few lines later he raps, “I’m not fake patient, I don’t fake sick / That kinda coffin don’t need lean,” using the word “coffin” to simultaneously refer to lean, the drug made with cough syrup, and deaths that it is associated with.

The song takes a quick turn in lyrics and delivery towards the end. Ocean’s abstract rapping about his wealth and confidence turn over to more melodic singing, where his armor seems to crack. He croons the line “Quit being violent with me” three times. After a short but weighty pause, the plea changes to something that feels more like a threat: “You make me violent.” In the outro, he sings “My room, my room with me / I guess I can't state my feelings too soon / I don't know you.” The paradox of someone being in Ocean’s room, an incredibly intimate space, but Ocean being unable or unwilling to take the emotional jump and share his feelings lingers on the closing beats of the song.

More than anything else, Ocean’s latest releases create even more anticipation for what is to come. The cover for “In My Room” features Ocean sitting on a bed, staring defiantly into the camera. This pose is replicated in one of the 17 silhouettes that decorate the bottom of the cover, hinting at the release of an album. If these tracks are representative of Frank Ocean’s direction following his critically acclaimed album “Blonde,” they suggest that Ocean is experimenting with abstract concept songs that lack clear narratives. Regardless of the change, Frank Ocean pulls us in with beautiful vocals, a style not found anywhere else in the industry, and just enough vulnerability to keep us waiting for more.