Tunde Adebimpe Drops ‘Somebody New’ From Solo Debut ‘Thee Black Boltz’

TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe is back with one more pre-release track, “Somebody New,” from his solo debut, Thee Black Boltz, out this Friday, April 18, via Sub Pop.

“Somebody New” is a three-minute dance-pop gem that finds Adebimpe singing in his deep, sweet voice over shuffling drums and pulsing synths: “I just wanna be somebody new/Is there nothing in the world/That we can do about this/Heavenly vibration coming through?/How can we feed this love?”

Adebimpe also directed the music video for “Somebody New,” in which he plays an old-school TV presenter/crooner who seems particularly aggrieved by the bustling, ebullient dancers taking up all the space. That is until one guest-a glammed-up, life-sized puppet—helps him recapture a little bit of that music magic. 

“I’m positive I fell asleep on a couch with the TV on sometime in 1982 and fever dreamt this exact thing,” Adebimpe quipped of the clip in a statement. 

“Somebody New” is the fourth song Adebimpe has shared from Thee Black Boltz, following “Magnetic,” “Drop,” and “God Knows.” Adebimpe produced his solo debut with Wilder Zoby, while the album also features contributions from his TV on the Radio bandmates Jahphet Landis and Jaleel Bunton. 

Adebimpe’s solo debut comes on the heels of TV on the Radio’s live reunion last year, with the indie greats playing their first shows together since 2019 (though without lead guitarist/producer Dave Sitek). The group have several U.S. festival dates scheduled for the spring and fall (including Just Like Heaven, Sea.Hear.Now, and Shaky Knees), with a European and U.K. tour slated for the summer.