Overview

• Dev Hynes’s fifth Blood Orange album arrived August 29 via RCA, marking his first full-length project under the moniker in six years.
• Critics from NME and the Guardian commend a cohesive, melancholy statement that many call a career peak.
• The songs process personal loss while reflecting on British identity and place, with lyrics referencing Greater London and Ilford.
• The record features Lorde, Caroline Polachek, Daniel Caesar, Mustafa, Brendan Yates, Tariq Al‑Sabir and Zadie Smith, whose contributions largely serve the album’s atmosphere.
• Reviews highlight abrupt juxtapositions across R&B, pop and electronica, disruptive cello passages by Cæcilie Trier, and thoughtful borrowings that include a Durutti Column sample on The Field alongside nods to Yo La Tengo, Ben Watt and Elliott Smith.