Frank Ocean's Boys Don't Cry is not here. When do you give up on someone who only offers false promises?
Frank Ocean has done it again.
And by “done it again,” we do not mean “dropped an amazing album” or even “released an album he said he would.” Ocean’s much-anticipated Boys Don’t Cry did not drop on Friday, August 5th like he had promised, making him once again the friend who constantly promises to reform and never does.
Like when you are waiting for your friend who promises to be on time, you can experiment with Snapchat filters while you wait. According to Pitchfork, Snapchat added two Frank Ocean filters. One is in the style of an OSX TextEdit window with the words “Dear Frank Ocean,” and the other features a skeleton and the caption “Waiting for Frank Ocean’s music like …”
When, exactly, do you give up on waiting for the ones you love but who can never change?
Here’s the backstory: Boys Don’t Cry has been delayed for over a year. In June, Ocean hinted the album will come in July, with a photo of a library slip with the date July 2016. On Monday, Ocean updated his website with a livestream of an empty room. His album was rumored to drop Friday with a source telling The New York Times (right?!) that it was happening.
It was all lies. We may never know if it they were well-intentioned, like the friend who swears he or she will leave on time next time, or if he’s one of those people just wants to watch the world burn by refusing to adhere to a schedule. Is it time to break up with him?!
Perhaps another recluse, Emily Dickinson, said it best:
Hope is a thing with feathers
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all.
Someday we will learn when to stop and give up that hope. But that is easier said than done. Hope is a thing with feathers, indeed.