Three fresh tracks, courtesy of Queens’ new party king

Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP.

By Victoria Merlino

Queens is, for those who have the pleasure of being in the know, one of the best places to party in New York City. Though Manhattan may have the big name clubs, and Brooklyn the trendy bars, Queens has the most interesting people. And the people know how to throw a rager. 

Last month, R&B genius and social media recluse Frank Ocean graced the borough with a limited series of nightclub events in Maspeth’s Knockdown Center. Titled “PrEP+,” the event imagined what the ‘80s and ‘90s club scene would have been like if the preventative HIV medication PrEP had been around during that time. While Ocean received blowback for what some thought was an insensitive theme — an argument that he rebuked in an open letter on his blog — the parties spawned massive hype. 

Ocean, née Christopher Edwin Breaux, is known as the king of 3 a.m. house party jams, bedroom bangers and music you listen to on a long drive to see friends you haven’t really thought about in a while. In honor of Queens’ new party king, the Eagle is looking at four quintessential Frank Ocean tracks for when you’re cruising down Roosevelt Avenue, riding the No. 7 train to Flushing or chilling in your mom’s house in Jamaica. 

For The Morning

On your slog to the office, drown out the roar of the train with “Sweet Life,” off of Ocean’s 2012 breakout album “Channel Orange.” “So why see the world/when you got the beach?” Ocean asks over a delicate melody and a glittering piano. Though Ocean’s orchestration has grown darker, spacier and more experimental in recent releases, the riffs on “Sweet Life” showcase just what made him famous: a golden voice tapping into a shiny feeling just beyond reality.  

For The Midday

The thumping beat of “Chanel” would wake up any office worker from their mid-afternoon caffeine drop. Released in 2017, the song’s glossy production and melancholy chords weave through Ocean’s voice as he talks about having his new money being all cash and seeing “both sides like Chanel.” A banger for times when you too are trying to grab that cash.  

For The Late Night

As you wind down (or start up), listen to “Nights,” the centerpiece of Ocean’s 2016 album “Blonde.” “Nights” is an anxious fever dream of a song packaged as a smooth ride to your friend’s house, an anthem to playing it cool when things are falling apart around you. “Why your eyes well up? Did you call me from a seance?” Ocean asks as if he doesn’t actually care at all. Halfway through, an electric guitar riff melts and mimics into the blaring reverb of an alarm clock, and the second half of the song begins. The anxiety of the first half gives way to a slow numbness in the second, and Ocean’s voice rises as you feel like you’re dipping your head deeper underwater. A complicated song to make you think before you head to bed or head out.