Everyone knew that new albums were on the horizon from Prince, but the music icon caught fans by surprise when announced that he would release two records on September 29. One, Art Official Age, will be from Prince alone while Plectrum Electrum will be the debut album from his band 3rd Eye Girl (NME's report).
Perhaps an even more surprising detail about the records aside from there being two: Both will be released on Warner Brothers Records. Prince made headlines nearly 20 years when he and the label had a falling out. That was the moment when he briefly changed his name to a symbol as a method of avoiding contractual obligations. Reps for the label seem to have forgotten all about it.
"Prince is one of just a handful of visionary artists who have truly reshaped and redefined modern music and culture," label CEO Cameron Strang said. "For the past 35 years, he has never stopped evolving, challenging himself, reinventing his sound, and pushing boundaries. In true Prince fashion, he has just given us not one, but two extraordinary albums that express the incredible range and depth of his talent."
A few tracks from Art Official Age have already reached listeners, in the form of "Breakfast Can Wait" and "Breakdown." The official tracklist for Art Official is also available below (and yeah, the caps lock is for real) although we've yet to get one for Plectrum Electrum.
01) ART OFFICIAL CAGE
02) CLOUDS
03) BREAKDOWN
04) THE GOLD STANDARD
05) U KNOW Prince
06) BREAKFAST CAN WAIT
07) THIS COULD BE US
08) WHAT IT FEELS LIKE
09) affirmation I & II
10) WAY BACK HOME
11) FUNKNROLL
12) TIME
13) affirmation III
