For a long time now, Playboi Carti has been keeping himself mysterious. The Atlanta rap star has released a string of singles in the past year — “Different Day,” “2024,” “EvilJ0rdan,” “Ketamine,” the Travis Scott collab “BACKR00MS” — but he’s only posted those songs on places like Instagram and YouTube. They haven’t been on streaming services. He’s appeared on high-profile singles from people like Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign, Future and Metro Boomin, and Camila Cabello. He postponed his much-anticipated arena tour just before it was scheduled to begin, and it hasn’t been rescheduled. So what’s going on? We still don’t really know, but Carti has just announced his long-awaited new album. Kind of.

Playboi Carti’s follow-up to the great 2020 album Whole Lotta Red is called Music — it makes the people come together — and it now has a pre-order link. But Music doesn’t have cover art, a tracklist, or — most crucially — a release date. If you try to pre-order music, Carti’s webstore assures you, “Product will ship no later than six months from September 12, 2024.” That’s not very reassuring!

But there’s a new song. Carti’s new single “All Red,” produced by longtime collaborators F1LTHY and OjiVolta, is an urgent, booming anthem with a hook about the inverted cross tattoo on Carti’s neck. He raps the whole thing in his lower register, sounding a bit like Future, and he exhibits the instinctive berserker swagger that’s always set him apart. The track is on streaming services, and it’s the first Carti solo joint to get a proper commercial release since Whole Lotta Red. Check it out below.