Jack White has quietly unveiled details of his new album Frozen Charlotte, revealing the project through an updated product listing on his official web store rather than a traditional album announcement.
The record will be White’s seventh solo studio album and follows the unconventional release strategy that has become a hallmark of the former White Stripes frontman’s recent projects.
Jack White announces album without actually announcing it
Fans first discovered Frozen Charlotte after a description appeared on White’s online store, outlining the origins of the new record.
According to the listing, White and his touring band headed straight into the studio following a run of acclaimed live performances.
The description states:
“Jack at his best; backed by an incredible band… whose collective hand is scorching hot after coming off a tour of universally-acclaimed performances.”
It continues:
“Went straight to work in the studio and laid down what became Frozen Charlotte.”
The album was recorded at White’s Third Man Studio in Nashville and features 13 new tracks blending the raw garage-rock energy and blues influences that have defined much of his solo work.
The listing describes the record as carrying a:
“Raucous, raw, and frenetic energy.”
The strange story behind the Frozen Charlotte artwork
While White has yet to make a formal album announcement on social media, he has shared the unusual backstory behind the album’s artwork.
According to the musician, the character featured on the cover was created after an accident in his studio.
“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.”
White later explained that a “Frozen Charlotte” was a type of Victorian penny doll associated with a folk tale about a young girl who froze to death.
The character subsequently evolved into a larger art project, with White creating multiple versions using scanning and 3D-printing techniques.
“Many versions of the sculpture started to come out of me, different personalities and characters… all of which are in the art show.”
Art exhibition connects directly to the new album
Several of the Frozen Charlotte sculptures are currently on display at White’s These Thoughts May Disappear exhibition at London’s Newport Street Gallery.
The exhibition runs until 13 September and offers fans a glimpse into the artistic concepts that inspired the album.
The crossover between visual art and music continues White’s long-standing interest in presenting records as multi-disciplinary creative projects rather than standalone releases.
Following the mystery of No Name
Frozen Charlotte follows White’s 2024 album No Name, which was initially distributed through unmarked white vinyl records hidden inside purchases made at Third Man Records stores in Detroit, Nashville and London.
Copies were also mailed to subscribers of the label’s vinyl club before the album was formally announced.
The first clue that a new project was on the way arrived when the single G.O.D. And The Broken Ribs briefly appeared for sale and quickly sold out.
Frozen Charlotte tracklisting
- 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
