Dev Hynes has truly come into himself as an artist over the past year. Known by most as “Blood Orange,” Hynes has been active in the music scene for fifteen years as a singer, songwriter, and producer. Over the length of his career, Hynes has pushed the conventions of a number of genres. In a single Blood Orange project, one can expect to hear hints of hip hop, R&B, jazz, electronica, soul, funk, pop, and alternative. Hynes blends these influences together with ease, creating tracks and projects that sound perpetually dreamy and fantastical. His voice is soft and husky, lulling the listener into an immediate state of comfort. His lyrics are poetic and personal as they connect to his experience as a queer black man learning to navigate within structures that refuse to acknowledge or validate the multiplicity of his identity.

Although Blood Orange had several full length albums under his belt, it was not until the release of his fourth studio project Negro Swan in 2018 that Hynes started to see success outside of the scope of the alternative scene. With features from legends such as Puff Daddy and Project Pat and more contemporary artists like A$AP Rocky and Steve Lacy, Negro Swan reached the ears of many listeners who knew nothing about Blood Orange prior to hearing “Chewing Gum” or “Characol Baby” for the first time. Hynes describes the project as “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.” This concept is reinforced through heavier tracks such as “Take Your Time” and “Dagenham Dream.” Negro Swan demonstrates Hynes’ power as a musician because he is able perfectly convey the complexity of human emotion through every facet of a song, from his artful lyrics to his seamless production. Dev Hynes does not compromise when it comes to his art. His music does not exist simply for consumption. It exists for the purpose of interaction.

Nearly a year after the release of Negro Swan, Blood Orange dropped his most recent project entitled Angel’s Pulse. Despite having a fourteen song tracklist and a 32 minute runtime, Hynes classifies Angel’s Pulse as a mixtape. Furthur discussing the context of the project, Hynes frames Angel’s Pulse as an “epolouge” to Negro Swan, an “almost stream-of-consciousness diary entry” of sorts. Angel’s Pulse works as confessional for Hynes as he takes the listener on a journey through his psyche. We as listeners are encouraged to navigate the landscape of love, longing, loss, and grief with Hynes throughout the duration of the tape.

Dev Hynes opens himself up to us and invites us into his world immediately on Angel’s Pulse with the track “I Wanna C U.” It is a subdued track, only running for a little over a minute before going into the next song. Yet within that minute Hynes’ synthy guitar melody, subdued drum progression and soothing harmonies lodge themselves into the ear and refuse to leave. The track is simple and catchy but it does not lack depth. The single verse in the song describes mental anguish in a physical way, with Hynes’ brain “running” constantly. He overthinks and he ruminates on a great many things, several of which are revealed as the mixtape progresses. On “I Wanna C U,” this rumination takes on the form of repetition with the chorus “I wanna C U/ And keep it in your home.”

The sentiment of wanting to be seen to find solace within both oneself and others is a theme that is explored throughout the course of Angel’s Pulse. On the track “Dark and Handsome” featuring synth pop artist Toro y Moi is a meditation on loss and how Hynes has chosen to grapple with it. He refers to deaths of his close friends Sam Merhan and Mac Miller that occurred the year before with the lyric “Cryin' for the ones I lost in '18 ('18)” He also sings of using luxury as a means of deflection away from the fragility of his mental state, encapsulated by the lyrics, “I've been known to hide within my own walls (Own walls)/ Jewelry in my ice so that I don't fall (Don't fall)/ Onto higher prices, and escape with (Escape with)/ All my ice intact, but who am I to kid?” Hynes blurs the line between singing and rapping with his quick delivery of the lyrics and the even quicker pace of the percussion that comes in about a third of the way throughout the track.

The other two hip-hop tracks on Angel’s Pulse are “Gold Teeth” and “Seven Hours Part 1.” With verses from rap veterans Project Pat and Gangsta Boo, one could consider “Gold Teeth” to be abstracted and artistic interpretation of a traditional Three Six Mafia song. The refrain of “Gold Teeth” is taken from the 1999 Project Pat track “We’re Gonna Rumble.” Along with the sample, the song also utilizes the classic TR 808 drum patterns, rattling hi hats, and old school snares associated with the 90s Dirty South sound that Three Six Mafia embodied. Dev Hynes experiments with the form of a Three Six Mafia song by adding a melodic chorus sung by Tinashe and Hynes himself. He adds to the melody through his incorporation of the piano throughout the track. The piano shifts the attention away from the beat and the melody, a largely unconventional move for rap songs today. In contrast, “Seven Hours Part 1” is more overt in its hip hop basis. Performed by BennY RevivaL, “Seven Hours Part 1” draws the listener in with RevivaL’s quick, calculated flow and heavy emphasis on the snare in the instrumental. It is on tracks like these where Hynes takes a backseat vocally and lets his features shine.

For those whose only exposure to Blood Orange is Negro Swan, the addition of indie pop and electronic tracks such as “Baby Florence (Figure)” and “Happiness” may come as a surprise. But for those who are familiar with Dev Hynes’s discography, these tracks are examples of the diversity of his musical influences and his ability to still draw inspiration for current projects from the ones he has already done. For example, the production and vocal performance on “Baby Florence (Figure)” could easily fit within the R&B and baroque pop sound of his third studio album Freetown Sound (2016). The new wave sound of “Happiness” could slip into the tracklist of Cupid Deluxe (2013). Although Hynes seems to have gotten the best public response towards his most hip hop, soul, and R&B inspired albums, this does not cause him to turn away from adding elements of electronica, pop, alternative, and rock into his music today. The use of these plethora of influences is what give Angel’s Pulse such a refreshing and unique sound unlike anything out right now.

Left: Cupid Deluxe (2013), Right: Freetown Sound (2016) — Left: *Cupid Deluxe* (2013), Right: *Freetown Sound* (2016)

The mark of Angel’s Pulse’s genius is seen through my struggle to encapsulate all this mixtape is into a single review. Dev Hynes’ newest project is just as funky as it is self reflexive, just as much as an easy listen as it an artistic text ready for analysis. Angel’s Pulse has so much to offer the listener sonically, lyrically, and thematically. It is a cliche, but this mixtape is one of those projects that you just need to hear for yourself in order to truly get a taste of what Dev Hynes has to offer. For those who liked Negro Swan, you will likely enjoy Angel’s Pulse just as much, if not more. If you liked both Negro Swan and Angel’s Pulse, I reccomend taking a closer look into the Blood Orange discography. There is an entire microcosm within the breadth of his work, a whole world to discover within his music. Angel’s Pulse is just another addition to the ever evolving musical, artistic, and personal sphere that is Dev Hynes. And perhaps with a listen, Angel’s Pulse can become part of your sphere as well.