Justin Timberlake, a musician and performer who could feasibly exist until the end of time inside a white tuxedo, has announced the imminent arrival of his brand-new album Man Of The Woods.
Does that name hint at stylistic change for the perennially dapper singer? Yes. Does Man Of The Woods come with its own trailer? It’s 2017 2018, so of course it does. Is it rustic, folksy, and fully in love with the Tennessee wilderness? Oh, you goddamn bet.
“This album is really inspired by my son, my wife, my family,” Timberlake intones over images of corn fields and babbling brooks. “But more so than any other album I’ve written, where I’m from.”
Why it’s not called Timberlake is utterly beyond us.
Viewers have already drawn some cynical comparisons between the announcement, other folk-adjacent artists, and other notable visual projects in recent memory, including – you guessed it – Beyoncé’s game-changing Lemonade.
It’s @jtimberlake Justin Timberlake ‘s , John Mayer @JohnMayer Wildfire / Born and Raised moment! pic.twitter.com/NubYIZMhEg
— Jen…? (@BionicJen77) January 2, 2018
Justin Timberlake’s friendship with Bon Iver must have reached its final form. pic.twitter.com/kS8uMJ6ub4
— Shannon Miller ❤️ WGA (@ShannonL_Miller) January 2, 2018
https://twitter.com/ira/status/948257977290579968
Why did I just see someone refer to Justin Timberlake new album as the male Lemonade “Root Beer”😭
— . (@SinsOfMyFather_) January 2, 2018
https://twitter.com/cal_erm/status/948241643278422016
While there’s speculation Man Of The Woods will see Timberlake dig deeper into country, bluegrass, and other rootsy genres, the mere presence of Señorita collaborator Pharrell Williams in the trailer suggests there will still be beats a-plenty.
We’ll begin to find out when his first new track arrives on January 5. Man Of The Woods arrives in full on February 2.
