Jack White has a followup album to the acclaimed “No Name” coming this summer, titled “Frozen Chocolate”… and it’s already quietly gone on sale for pre-order on his website, despite the lack of any other official announcement of the project.
The pre-order page for two different vinyl variants of the LP on White’s site says the previously unknown album will ship on July 10, though it’s not clear if that is the official release date for other formats or editions as well.
A rep for White did not immediately return Variety‘s request for comment.
Revealing the album via a sales listing is not quite as novel as the way in which “No Name” was announced, in which unmarked, white-label copies of the LP just began to be surreptitiously placed into customers’ bags at Third Man Records retail locations. But the nearly stealth reveal for “Frozen Charlotte” — or at least low-key for the moment — is in keeping with White’s tendency to do things in an unusual manner.
The product description suggests that anyone who liked “No Name” and the touring that followed — and that would seem to be most of his fan base — will be pleased with this one taking off in a similar direction.
Says the blurb, “‘Frozen Charlotte’ – the 7th studio album from Jack White — shows the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer at his best; backed by an incredible band (Patrick Keeler on drums, Dominic Davis on bass, Bobby Emmett on keys) whose collective hand is scorching hot after coming off a tour of universally-acclaimed performances. Instead of resting on a ‘job well done,’ they went straight to work in the studio and laid down what became ‘Frozen Charlotte.’
“Recorded in White’s Third Man Studio in Nashville, this album shows Jack carrying on the same raucous, raw, and frenetic energy from his lauded 2024 album, ‘No Name.’ 13 tracks of distinct feel and tone, ‘Frozen Charlotte’ is an intense rock and roll punch with never far behind blues underpinnings…all of which fits right at home with long time fans while leaving an inviting open door to newcomers alike.”
Two editions of the vinyl album are available, so far — one with a blue swirl and another with a crumpled, creamy appearance.
As of this writing, White’s social media does not have any signs of an album announcement, but he did devote recent Instagram posts to explaining how the cover image and concept came about.
“An old carnival prize chalkware statue from the 1940’s of a sailor boy falls over in my recording studio and its head breaks off,” White recounts in the IG caption. “I grab a nearby blue skull shaker percussion object and glue it in the head’s place. I paint the body white and suddenly an all new character avatar that I called ‘Frozen Charlotte’ came to life. A ‘frozen Charlotte’ is a penny doll toy from victorian times, they were ceramic but could float or have a dress put over, recalling an old folk song about a girl who froze to death from not dressing properly in the winter. I wanted to make the modern version of chalk ware of the 40’s and 50’s which to me is 3D printed plastic. We took the piece to be scanned and CAD filed in order to make more of her with the help of Daniel Birkhead at @pr3nter_inc and my good man Daniel Mancini facilitating. Then sanding, priming, spraying back at my own shop to create numerous avatars of her including a male trixter hero version named the ‘Frozen Charlatan’ who is the chrome metallic alter ego. Some of them felt like they needed to include the original broken off sailor’s head. Many versions of the sculpture started to come out of me, different personalities and characters, some to mimic the fast airbrush style of cheap carnival prizes made assembly line style, and some more elaborately painted, all of which are in the art show.”
The caption further notes that “many of these pieces are on display and for sale at the ‘These Thoughts May Disappear’ exhibition at the Newport Street Gallery, London UK till Sept. 13th.”
A single from the album, “G.O.D. and the Broken Ribs,” previously went on sale and quickly sold out on the Third Man site, with no indication at the time of whether it presaged a full album or was a one-off.
The tracklist:
G.O.D. And The Broken Ribs
Derecho Demonico
There’s Nobody There
Raising The Grain
You’ll Never Fix Me
Nobody Knows
Dollar Bill
I Can’t Believe What I’m Hearing
Thick As Thieves
All Alone Again
She’s In A Frenzy
Making Contact
Neighbors Blues
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