Justin Timberlake is a man who represents whatever society’s ideal aesthetics happen to be at the time, whether it was those curly frosted tips or the clean-cut “Suit And Tie” look, and now he has descended from whatever Mt. Olympus he normally looks down at us from to bring the 2018 version of sexy back. As it turns out, that apparently involves a whole bunch of cowboy shit. We’re talking boots. We’re talking rugged jackets. We’re talking campfires. We’re talking cozy blankets. We’re talking big, open fields. We’re talking Jessica Biel in a Stetson. We’re talking raising your arms and looking up to the sky, begging the almighty for some reprieve from your unstoppable, smoldering charisma. This is Justin Timberlake in 2018, and he’s become the ultimate amalgamation of old-fashioned “manliness” and modern-day sensitive heartthrobs.
Anyway, Timberlake released the above video to announce his new album, which is literally titled Man Of The Woods in case you thought the whole “rustic Timberlake” thing was just for the teaser video. Other than the whole vibe of the clip, the only information we have about the album is Pharrell Williams’ ringing endorsement, but a guy appearing in the announcement video probably isn’t the most objective source. The album will be released on February 2, just days before Timberlake’s triumphant return to the Super Bowl Halftime Show on February 4. Hopefully some appropriately woodsy animal-themed teams make it to the Big Game, just for thematic consistency.
The first single off of Man Of The Woods will be available on Friday.