Tireless Detroit underground rap overlord Boldy James is truly back on his Guided By Voices bullshit. In 2024, Boldy released three full-length albums, all collaborations with different producers. For most artists, that would be an unimaginably productive stretch. For this man, it’s a simple return to business as usual after his life-threatening car crash. Now, there’s at least some chance that Boldy James will equal his 2024 output in the very first month of 2025.

Last week, Boldy James reunited with RichGains, producer of his excellent 2023 album Indiana Jones, to release the new album Murder During Drug Traffic. It’s really good. With any artist this productive, there’s always the chance that you’ll listen to a new album once and then never return to it, but I’ve been coming back to Murder During Drug Traffic a lot in the past week. Now, Boldy has shared a new single, along with the announcement of his second new album of the month.

Boldy James’ next album is called Permanent Ink, and it appears to be a full-length collaboration with an unknown-to-me production entity called Royal House Recordings. “Single File Line,” the LP’s lead single, is a bit of a departure for Boldy, and it suggests a more commercial move, though it’s the type of commercial move that might’ve gotten more traction in the ’00s. Over a helium-soul beat that reminds me of early Kanye West, Boldy James gets into the time-honored rap tradition of talking about all the nice things that he’d like to do for a pretty lady, like the ones in the song’s video. Experience the slight dissonance of a for-the-ladies Boldy James song below.

Permanent Ink is out 1/24.