If Prince’s recent
Hit and Run dates proved anything aside from the fact that the 56-year-old still has unrelenting energy levels, it was that there remains a ferocious appetite for the Purple One’s funk-rock onslaught. It’s perhaps for that reason that Prince has unveiled details of not one, but two full-length albums: his long-awaited 3rd Eye Girl release and a separate Prince album.
The musician has been teasing us with details of his forthcoming Plectrum Electrum album with the band 3rd Eye Girl since January this year, when he hosted a press conference at nu-soul singer
Lianne La Havas’ house. Since then, he has performed a succession of surprise gigs in locations across the UK, from Shepherd’s Bush Empire to the Guardian’s Kings Place.
After Sunday night’s VMAs, the artist
revealed that Plectrum Electrum will arrive in September alongside an entirely separate LP, Art Official Age. Featuring 13 songs, the album is available to order now, and includes the the previously released track
Breakdown, as well as the following psychedelic artwork:
Prince album artwork Photograph: artofficialage.com
Details of his 37th album follows news that Prince will return to Warner Bros Records for the first time in 18 years. He rejoins the label after a split that led to the artist scrawling the word ‘slave’ on his face and changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol in an attempt to sabotage
his contract.
Both Art Official Age and Plectrum Electrum are due to arrive on 29 September, and are available to order now
Tracklist for Art Official Age:
1. ART OFFICIAL CAGE
2. CLOUDS
3. BREAKDOWN
4. THE GOLD STANDARD
5. U KNOW Prince
6. BREAKFAST CAN WAIT
7. THIS COULD BE US
8. WHAT IT FEELS LIKE
9. affirmation I & II
10. WAY BACK HOME
11. FUNKNROLL
12. TIME
13. affirmation III
