Undoubtedly prevalent in modern music is the influence of UK pop polymath Devonté (Dev) Hynes, an experimentalist garnering over six million listeners on Spotify across his multiple projects. Although redefining indie, dance-punk, and R&B was not his original intent, his work under his current pseudonym Blood Orange has done so in a way that has completely transformed the contemporary music scene.
What Makes Blood Orange Different?
Distinct vocals, hyperactive instrumentals, and beats that layer eclecticism over earnest tones—the mere sound of Hynes’s Blood Orange projects differentiates 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.
Although Hynes’s innovative production approach sets him apart from his contemporaries, his raw expression of personal and societal issues further demonstrates 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 understandable through their unfiltered nature.
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 condition that combines the senses of sight and sound. In a 2012 interview with Crack Magazine, Hynes described his synesthesia when producing Coastal Grooves. He surmised that the album emitted “tones of pink.”
Along with using his synesthesia as a way of explaining the mood of Coastal Grooves, Hynes also used his childhood experiences to describe the album’s focus on sexuality.
He described in an interview with Vulture that a difficult childhood in London resulted in several of his albums exploring themes of maleness and masculinity.
“I was beaten up a lot,” Hynes described to Vulture’s Craig Jenkins in 2018. “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 juxtapositions within Coastal Grooves exude an essence of angst that is, unequivocally, intentional. Folk-like melodies featuring twangy guitars combined with seemingly disjointed synthesizers define the ten songs on the album.
The album collectively showcases Hynes’s political awareness that appears in later releases, including Cupid Deluxe in 2013, Freetown Sound in 2016, and Angel’s Pulse in 2019.
Negro Swan (2018)
Negro Swan, considered to be Hynes’s magnum opus, released in August 2018, further exemplifies Hynes’s political and social awareness. Highlighting the trials of marginalized life, Negro Swan is an emotionally charged, 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,” he described to VIBE’s Zoe Johnson. “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.”
“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, “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, the song is a central addition to the album. “Charcoal Baby” and each remaining track on the electronica-infused soul album are, no doubt, testaments to Hynes’s evolving sound and raw self-expression.
The Year of Blood Orange & Hynes’s Experimentalism
Undeniably, 2024 was the year of Blood Orange. Both the appearance of Cupid Deluxe’s “Uncle ACE” in the film Challengers, and Hynes’s performance at Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Music Festival further cemented his relevance in contemporary music. Collaborations with 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 under his Blood Orange pseudonym 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 original score for the acclaimed psychological thriller Job. After attending the show’s pre-Broadway run in Connelly and expressing his admiration to lead actress Sydney Lemmon, he was subsequently invited to write 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 yet another creative feat to his extensive music resumé, Hynes — independent of his Blood Orange persona — further solidified his reputation as a multifaceted music mastermind.
Until a new Blood Orange release, the innovative synth-pop stylings of Devonté Hynes still continue to offer audiences 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.
