The first two-thirds of Frank Ocean’s short new song “In My Room” are nice, if close to throwaway. He sings loosely about a romantic partner and drops references to zillion-dollar Richard Mille watches and poppers. Actually, he’s rapping more than singing, and he sounds heavy-lidded over the repetitive beat, zooming through verses with a lilt in his voice, sometimes cooing in an offkey warble, even though we all know he can sing like an angel. Perhaps he’s sick of perfection. Most of the song sounds more reminiscent of the hyper-prolific Bay Area enigma Lil B than it does of the guy who made Blonde.
But then, 45 seconds from the end, Frank switches his tack. “Quit being violent with me,” he sings, the usual beauty returned to his tone. Then he repeats the plea. It feels like time stops. Then a confession of his own: “You make me violent.” Is he talking about intimate partner violence? About child abuse? Or is he talking to his own brain? It’s impossible to know, but the vulnerability he communicates, especially in the context of the song’s earlier gruffness, gives his appeal worrisome merit.
You can’t name a song “In My Room” without having it compared to to the Beach Boys’ classic. In their version, the room is an escape. “Now it’s dark and I’m alone/But I won’t be afraid,” they sing. In Frank’s version, the song ends with no such respite.
