Tunde Adebimpe is a name that you can’t forget, once you know it. Similarly, his voice sticks in your head, once you hear it. And it is likely you’ve known him for a while, even if you didn’t think you did. For he is the co-founder and principal vocalist for the prolific music group, TV on the Radio. However, this is not about TV on the Radio; this is about Adebimpe, and he has something to share with us all: A new solo album called Thee Black Bolts.
As a major fan of their 2011 album, “Nine Types of Light”, I was curious and stoked to learn more about the life of Adebimpe in relation to his new work. And what a story he has!
The Cliff’s Notes would tell you that Adebimpe is the child of Nigerian immigrants who spent his childhood between Pittsburgh and Africa. He loved to draw, and initially set out a path toward visual arts, and cinema. He found himself immersed in the early 2000s indie rock scene amongst his college friends at NYU Film School, and landed a job in stop motion with MTV’s Celebrity Death Match (Omg remember that???). In addition to building a highly successful band, he has dabbled in acting, and recently has been getting cast in some major blockbusters (see: Twisters and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew).
So why shake up a good thing? Why take the risk and go solo? Adebimpe expressed that TV on the Radio had become a kind of crutch for him creatively. It had become comfortable for him to let his bandmates finish his ideas for him. He had a curiosity about what would happen if he didn’t have that safety net. So, Adebimpe took the leap, and brought in multi-instrumentalist Wilder Zoby (from Run the Jewels) to offer some new perspective in creation.
This album was conceived when TV on the Radio took a break in 2019, and it gestated during the ole pandy-wandy. He talks about the state of human conditions, stress, the passing of his younger sister, dissonance, and grief; the album is about finding moments of joy in the face of all that.
“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.”
So let’s get into it!
Thee Black Bolts opens with a public service announcement for those traveling in space. The first true song, “Magnetic” starts off with a fun buzzing beat and a good shout. It doesn’t waste anytime getting you to bop your head. “Ate the Moon” breaks it down a little bit, and then takes you to the moon building into a head-banger. “Pinstack” becomes more conversational with stripped down moments that sink back gnarly electric guitar rhythms.
“Drop” opens with a delicious ASMR of beatboxing, that builds slowly with vocals, and runs through a sequence of pleasant drops that give and take a delightful rhythm. “ILY” plays with simple human clapping hands and a Spanish guitar line. It delivers like a love poem. The album then brings in car crashes and irreverent lyrics with “The Most.”
The latter half of the album keeps up it’s theme of story telling and space travel. “Somebody New” is a fast-paced 80s synth anthem crying “how can we feed this love?” and “heavenly vibration coming through” with uplifting trumpets and fanfare. The album closes with “Streetlight Nuevo” which has a nice dreamy and spacey landscape with a breakbeat, nods to astrology, and lyrics like “it was wild as the moon.”
The album is juicy, and has great variety, and if you like TV on the Radio, you’ll like the familiar voice singing to you in the variety of moods as Adebimpe carries you through this space course he’s designed for you.
For those of you who may feel called to enter the creative spaces, he offers a little closing advice.
“If you have an idea, just get it out. It doesn’t need to be perfect. You don’t need a label or billboards. You can do everything yourself.”
The album is out Friday, April 18th, 2025 on SubPop Records. You can listen to the first singles here.
The Indy Review 
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