Devonté Hynes a.k.a. Blood Orange has announced his first collection of new songs since 2019’s Angel’s Pulse. His forthcoming EP, Four Songs, releases Sept. 16 via RCA Records.
The songs on Four Songs were produced, written and mixed by Hynes. Ian Isiah, Eva Tolkin, Liam Benzvi, Erika de Casier and Bryndon Cook are included in the mix, lending vocals to the upcoming project.
He pairs the announcement with “Jesus Freak Lighter,” the lead single from the EP. It’s a non-traditionally structured song, relying on repetition and simplicity to evoke pop appeal.
Four Songs is Blood Orange’s first release for RCA Records. It’s also his first effort as Blood Orange since Angel’s Pulse, as mentioned above.
Released in July 2019, the 14-track mixtape featured appearances by Justine Skye, Tinashe, Project Pat, Gangsta Boo and Ian Isiah, among others. It included the focus track “Dark & Handsome,” which he performed for COLORS.
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Later that year, Blood Orange returned to Devonté Hynes and issued Fields, a classical album released in collaboration with Grammy-winning quartet Third Coast Percussion.
Fields received a pair of 2021 Grammy nominations, including Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance. It marked Hynes’ first career Grammy nomination.
“This was the first time I’ve written music that I’ve never played, and I love that,” he revealed in a statement. “It’s something I’ve always been striving to get to. Seeing what Third Coast Percussion had done with these pieces was magical.”
In spring 2021, Hynes was invited by NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music to participate in an artist residency.
“I’m excited to meet students, witness their creative process, and see how I can be of assistance to them. It’s going to be as much of a learning experience for me as it is for them and I’m really looking forward to it.,” said Hynes in a press statement.
Blood Orange is wrapping up his final dates on Harry Styles’ Madison Square Garden residency in New York City, New York. It concludes on Sept. 22.
Stream Blood Orange’s new song “Jesus Freak Lighter” below.
