The influence of UK pop polymath Devonté (Dev) Hynes is unmistakable in modern music. An experimentalist garnering over six million listeners on Spotify across his multiple projects, Hynes has completely transformed the indie, dance-punk, and R&B scenes with his work under his current pseudonym, Blood Orange.
What Makes Blood Orange Different?
With distinct vocals, hyperactive instrumentals, and beats that layer eclecticism over earnest tones, Hynes’s projects as Blood Orange differentiate him from other musicians. From hyper-punk beginnings with alternative band Test Icicles to a New Wave solo career as Lightspeed Champion, Hynes’s sound has morphed into a unique form of synth-pop that cannot be mimicked.
While Hynes’s innovative production approach sets him apart from his contemporaries, it is his raw expression of personal and societal issues that further showcases his individuality. Under the Blood Orange pseudonym, Hynes’s vulnerability adds an unmatched and palpable magnetism to his discography. His songs are sonically complex, yet their honesty makes them emotionally accessible.
Coastal Grooves (2011)
Hynes released his debut Blood Orange album, Coastal Grooves, on August 30, 2011. Serving as an exploration of New York City nightlife and 1980s queer culture, Coastal Grooves was a product of synesthesia — a neurological condition where stimulating one sense automatically triggers another. For Hynes, this condition manifested in the blending of sounds and colors. In a 2012 interview with Crack Magazine, Hynes described his synesthesia, explaining that Coastal Grooves emitted “tones of pink.”
Hynes used both his synesthesia and his childhood experiences to shape the album’s exploration of sexuality.
He described in an interview with Vulture that a challenging childhood led him to explore themes of maleness and masculinity in several of his albums.
“I was beaten up a lot,” Hynes said. “Put into hospitals. I guess it sucked, when I think about it. I kept to myself a lot. If you want to be analytical of it, [it was] because I was a black kid wearing makeup, and painting my nails, and relaxing my hair.”
The album is a blend of Hynes’s career, merging his alternative indie and electronica roots with Blood Orange’s synth-pop sound. The instrumental contrasts within Coastal Grooves deliberately exude an essence of angst. Folk-like melodies combined with seemingly disjointed synthesizers frame the ten songs on the album.
The album collectively showcases Hynes’s political awareness that appears in later releases, including Cupid Deluxe (2013), Freetown Sound (2016), and Angel’s Pulse (2019).
Negro Swan (2018)
Negro Swan (2018), considered to be Hynes’s magnum opus, further exemplifies Hynes’s political and social awareness. Highlighting the trials of marginalized life, Negro Swan is an emotionally charged and fluid representation of Hynes’s creative process and talent.
The album’s 16 songs highlight Hynes’s deeply emotional sentiments as a black man. However, his words are not just simple lyrics to fulfill a musical expectation. Rather, they are a contributing factor to a larger, socially-charged tapestry, as he explained in a 2018 interview with VIBE.
“I can honestly say in the entirety of Blood Orange stuff, there have maybe been three times I have sat down and wrote a song from start to finish. It’s more like a bunch of tapestries that I am always weaving in and out of, which is why sometimes lyrics repeat and melodies repeat,” he expressed.
“No one wants to be the odd one out at times / No one wants to be the negro swan,” Hynes repeats in “Charcoal Baby.” Released as a single for Negro Swan, the song “Charcoal Baby” is an exemplary tapestry of both Hynes’s artistry and vulnerability.
With a driving electronic snare, harmonizing synths, and a breathy flute interlude, it is a central addition to the album. “Charcoal Baby” and each remaining track on the electronica-infused soul album are testaments to Hynes’s evolving sound and raw self-expression.
The Year of Blood Orange & Hynes’s Experimentalism
There’s no question that 2024 marked the year of Blood Orange’s mainstream breakthrough. The inclusion of his 2013 single “Uncle ACE” in the film Challengers, along with his performance at Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Music Festival solidified his relevance in contemporary music. Collaborations with musical powerhouses like A$AP Rocky, Steve Lacy, and Solange boosted Hynes into the mainstream music scene.
As of this article’s publication, Hynes’s projects as Blood Orange have earned him over 400,000,000 streams on Spotify. The future seems only to be looking upward for Hynes both in his work as Blood Orange and beyond.
Although there are no reports of Hynes releasing new music as Blood Orange anytime soon, he has been steadily expanding his talents in other artistic areas.
In July 2024, Hynes made his Broadway composing debut after writing the score for the acclaimed psychological thriller Job. After attending the show’s pre-Broadway run and sharing his admiration to lead actress Sydney Lemmon, he was invited to compose its score.
In a press statement, the show’s co-producer, Hannah Getts, explained, “Anyone familiar with Dev’s work already knows what a naturally brilliant storyteller he is, so it’s no surprise that his work on Job not only enriches the thematic and narrative threads but also deepens the emotional resonance of the play.”
Adding another creative achievement to his already impressive musical resumé, Hynes — beyond his Blood Orange persona — continues to solidify his status as a multifaceted music mastermind.
Until the next Blood Orange release, Devonté Hynes’s innovative synth-pop sound continues to deliver a uniquely eclectic listening experience. He discovers beauty in pain, and, in turn, makes it accessible to his listeners. Hynes’s work as Blood Orange is as unconventional as it is personal, and its masterful experimentation remains incomparable.
