Blood Orange: Augustine
With a track like “Augustine” (and the accompanying video), it’s hard to think of things Blood Orange (aka Dev Hynes) can’t do. Off his just dropped album Freetown Sound (which features songs made in collaboration with Debbie Harry, Ta-Nehisi C, Carly Rae Jepsen and more), the song maintains Hynes’ signature soulful vocals and drum-and-piano instrumentation, but introduces what feels like a far more complex song structure. Commencing with female guest vocals and entering a thoughtful patch of speak-singing, the song delves into the singer’s familiar falsetto. The video, which Hynes also directed, features the multi-instrumentalist playing various musical devices and dancing. Altogether, it comes together with beauty and a bit of grace—and the lyrics and their substance require just as much attention.
