Single of the Week: Frank Ocean’s “DHL”

By Lewis Ulm

My phone vibrates at 5:30 in the morning as I question who would be texting me and wonder why I didn’t turn on do not disturb the night before. But it’s not a text; it’s an Instagram notification: @Blonded has just posted a photo. 

It couldn’t be… unless?

Frank Ocean has been surprisingly active recently, what with the launch of his PrEP+ Queer Club Night in the past week, but surely the Instagram post would just be something highlighting that? I resist the urge to go back to sleep in defiance of my fandom of Mr Ocean, and what do I find when I check the post? There’s merchandise available on his website. 

And when there’s merch, there’s music. 

So after reluctantly succumbing to the purchase of two songs on vinyl for a steep price, I get another notification. Ocean’s radio show “Blonded Radio” has a new episode, and it’s on now. I tune in for the next two hours in great anticipation for new music, the first in literal years, and for the last 10 minutes of the show we are graced with it: DHL by Frank Ocean. 

DHL is most definitely a new direction for Ocean, particularly considering the romantic minimalism of his 2016 record Blonde. Where that album was concerned with heartbreak and silhouettes of love, DHL is a braggadocious flex with a booming bass and loud synths. Frank raps for the majority of the song, stylistically matching the flair in his lyricism and complementing the smooth yet rattling beat that rolls in the background. 

Instrumentally, the lo-fi aesthetic of the song creates a mysterious tone that puts us right inside Frank’s mind, perhaps a braggy alter-ego that we don’t get to see too often from Ocean. Frank rides the slow beat with precision, switching his voice up throughout the song to add more flair in his performance; we are kept on our toes here, as Ocean doesn’t shy away from the unexpected. 

And with this anticipation of more shocks right from the beginning, the lyrics are perhaps the most surprising elements of the four-minute-long track. Over the years, Ocean has continued to test the public’s perception of his sexuality, with Blonde having obvious references to and a subsequent embracement of his bisexuality. But on DHL Ocean is truly comfortable with it, flexing his numerous romantic partners with lines like “boy toy ride me like an Uber.” But equally, Ocean is showing off his money and his success - it’s clear that he knows just how good he is. “You seen my bag, it’s swole at the MOMA, I can’t even fold it,” Ocean sings as he references just how much money he has. We’ve never heard Frank this confident about who he is or what he’s achieved, and you can’t help but love every second of it. 

But whilst Ocean can be interpreted as more mainstream with this lyrical direction, somewhat indulging himself in the flex culture perpetuated by his hip-hop contemporaries, the marks of a master lie firmly throughout the track. Deep synthesizers are used to begin the song, with the introduction of bass bouncing off the finishing licks of his lyrics. The second verse, in particular, holds a high-pitched reverb that gives some melodic relief to add to the restrained projection of Ocean, holding himself back as he indulges himself in his come-up. The outro, in particular, is just euphoric, but some fans will be left wanting more. Seemingly tied up for the majority of the song, Ocean breaks free in the end and lets loose, both lyrically and vocally. “Got my partner in the front, been my BF for a month / But we been fuckin' from the jump.” He didn’t have to go THIS HARD. 

If this is a taste of what’s to come of Frank Ocean, then I’m all for it. With new music clearly on the way, it will be interesting to see whether this alter-ego of Ocean’s continues to emerge, shying away from the romantic side shown in his prior work. The song won’t be for everyone and will be a shock to even the most hardened Ocean fans, but this change of direction is downright exciting. For an artist that has always pushed the boundaries of his own music, further experimentation into the genre and others should get all fans keen for more because there’s no telling what’s next to come. 

Frank has never had more to say, but with songs like DHL, it’s an absolute joy to listen.