Dev Hynes Announces New Blood Orange Album ‘Essex Honey’

Last month, Dev Hynes returned as Blood Orange for the first time in three years with “The Field,” a Caroline Polachek-assisted single about grief and escapism. As it turns out, the musician has been thinking a lot about these themes in the six years since his most recent studio album. The grief that comes with living, but also growing up, leaving home, and turning to music to make sense of it all works as the foundation of Essex Honey, the new album from Blood Orange, out August 29.

Hynes leaned on an expansive list of collaborators across Essex Honey, including Polachek who also appears on the newly-released single “Mind Loaded” alongside Lorde and Mustafa. Hynes recently produced tracks for Lorde’s new album Virgin. He also contributed vocals on Turnstile’s “Seein’ Stars,” and the band’s frontman Brendan Yates will repay the favor on Essex Honey.

“Mind Loaded” arrives alongside “Somewhere in Between,” a solo entry from Hynes that repeats the mournful and pleading refrain, “Light was just for hope and it’s keeps flickering/I just want to see again.” The album artwork for Essex Honey calls back to the musician’s upbringing just outside of London. The image captures a young boy walking in his school uniform, striped tie blowing in the wind, while holding a basketball in one hand and a CD in another.

“Essex Honey is an album tinted with grief and loss, working towards acceptance and resolution, at a time when the culture is collectively feeling grief and loss, collectively trying to work towards resolution and acceptance,” a release about the album reads.

The voice of the collective expands on the album with appearances from Daniel Caesar, Tariq Al-Sabir, the Durutti Column, and author Zadie Smith, marking the first time she has lent her singing voice to an album. Ian Isiah, Tirzah, Eva Tolkin, Wet’s Kelly Zutrau, actors Naomi Scott and Amandala Stenberg, and Liam Benzvi also appear on Essex Honey.