Frank Ocean likes to make people wait. He did it with Blonde, and he does it consistently with his Apple Music show “blonded RADIO,” whose newest episode arrived suddenly and unexpectedly last night during the VMAs. These delays usually come with big payoffs, often a new song he’ll play for an hour with variations and sometimes bonus remixes featuring big-name friends. The latest offering, “Provider,” kept with this trend: It aired on a loop with several versions and gorgeous intros, each version a nimble, soft-strutting R&B jaunt.
The officially released version of “Provider” plays with pitch and tempo, warping Frank’s murmurs around the strobe of flickering synth chords. Beneath him, knocking drums alternate patterns—some whacking like wooden blocks, others rattling into deep bass. Sometimes the percussion vanishes completely, ceding force to Frank’s smoky sing-song. His voice moves in and out of focus, winding through octaves as reverb coats some of his vocals while other lines remain muted and untouched. There are casual flexes (“Trophy case still light, body need a race stripe/And these minerals on my body break light”) and some phrases are phonetic exercises structured like rap bars (“Stiff smile just like I’m Aphex Twin/Pat the Patagonia pockets, tryna find my zip”). Even though the narrative shifts throughout, patience emerges as a theme. As he sneaks in musings on divinity and support, Frank talks about putting his friends and lovers on stand by, making them bide their time, until he’s ready to make a move. In the end, as is often the case with Frank, the reward is worth the wait.
