I might be way off base here, but methinks modern day renaissance man Dev Hynes isn’t one to sit around and binge watch “The Handmaid’s Tale” or “Riverdale” like the rest of us time-wasters. Besides stints with/as Test Icicles/Lightspeed Champion respectively, Hynes’ accomplishments are the sort of staggering stuff that stirs envy and resentment in others (writing and producing for the likes of Solange Knowles, FKA twigs, Carly Rae Jepsen, A$AP Rocky, Kylie Minogue; improvising live with Philip Glass; film-scoring Gia Coppola’s Palo Alto).
No matter the moniker, everything the man touches turns to gold soundz. Over the span of ten years and three enthusiastically-received albums, Hynes’ main outlet has been as Blood Orange. The fourth Blood Orange album, entitled Negro Swan, is out August 24 through Domino Records (pre-order here or directly from Domino). And the first video from Negro Swan, “Charcoal Baby,” can be seen below.
Hynes has had an ear for the sounds of the human soul ever since he heard note one: “My newest album is an exploration into my own and many types of black depression, an honest look at the corners of black existence, and the ongoing anxieties of queer/people of color,” he says. “A reach back into childhood and modern traumas, and the things we do to get through it all. The underlying thread through each piece on the album is the idea of HOPE, and the lights we can try to turn on within ourselves with a hopefully positive outcome of helping others out of their darkness.”
Fresh off his set at Pitchfork’s annual fete in Chicago, Hynes has also slotted the Blood Orange band into some juicy festival lineups and mouth-watering club dates. See ‘em all after “Charcoal Baby” below. Hynes is a particularly hot piece right now, so many of these shows might sell out quick. You’ve been warned, slackers and binge-watchers!
Negro Swan tracklisting:
01. Track 1
02. Track 2
03. Track 3
04. Track 4
05. Jewelry
06. Track 6
07. Charcoal Baby
08. Track 8
09. Track 9
10. Track 10
11. Track 11
12. Track 12
13. Track 13
14. Track 14
15. Track 15
16. Track 16
Blood Orange live:
08.05.18 - Montreal, QC - Parc Jean-Drapeau, Osheaga Festival
09.14.18 - Vancouver, BC - The Orpheum, Westward Music Festival
09.15.18 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre
09.16.18 - Portland, OR - Roseland
09.20.18 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre
09.21.18 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
09.22.18 - Las Vegas, NV - Downtown Las Vegas, Life is Beautiful Festival
09.26.18 - New York, NY - Central Park Summerstage
09.27.18 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore
09.28.18 - Washington, DC - Lincoln Theatre
10.01.18 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
10.02.18 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
10.06.18 - Austin, TX - Zilker Park, Austin City Limits
10.13.18 - Austin, TX - Zilker Park, Austin City Limits
10.29.18 - London, UK - O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
10.30.18 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg Max
11.02.18 - Paris, France - Grande Halle de la Villette, Pitchfork Music
Festival Paris
11.03-04.18 - Turin, Italy - Lingotto Fiere, Club to Club Festival
11.06.18 - Berlin, Germany - Columbia Theater
11.07-10.18 - Reykjavík, Iceland - Iceland Airwaves Festival
11.08.18 - Copenhagen, Denmark - The Grey Hall
More about: Blood Orange
