The East London native Blood Orange, a.k.a. Dev Hynes, dropped a new EP last week titled Four Songs. Written and produced entirely by Hynes himself, this project features songs that feel melancholy, warm, and ambient. This is the first project we have received from him since 2019’s Angel’s Pulse and it far exceeded my expectations.
Throughout the last decade, Dev Hynes has proven himself as an acclaimed singer-songwriter and producer, for not only himself but many others as well. He’s previously worked with Solange, FKA twigs, The Chemical Brothers, A$AP Rocky, and more. Throughout the years, he has continued to make a name for himself. Each project has had its own genre from neo-soul, and rock, to dream-pop. With this new EP, it’s clear he’s going to continue to excel.
Album Artwork for Four Songs EP by Blood Orange
The first track “Jesus Freak Lighter” opens with static, then 15 seconds later a mellow acoustic guitar takes over the track paired with his falsetto singing voice. The second track feels like an 80s dream-pop record with minimal lyrics more so a heavier focus on the production. The third single, “Wish,” has a very atmospheric and upbeat tone while the lyrics say otherwise. The songs seem to point at Dev talking about a girl who is going through a situation, and she wants whatever is going on to change.
On the last track, “Relax and Run,” we have two features from both singers Erika De Casier and Eva Tolkin. I interpreted the song’s message as being about finding an escape or distraction that is going to take you away from whatever you’re going through. The two singers sang along with Blood Orange and finished off the EP.
The whole project is short only 11 minutes in length with every song feeling very free flowing and loose. As I’m listening, it’s not exactly easy to pinpoint the messaging due to the minimal lyricism. Although I do visualize a colorful picture of each song in my mind without seeing any music video prior to. I wish we would have gotten a full-length project from him, but I’m glad we got something new.
