Blood Orange — Four Songs — EP Review

Alternative | R&B | Jazz

Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music

When it comes to making highly atmospheric R&B music, none have championed this in recent memory as London-born singer-songwriter Dev Hynes, known by his musical project of Blood Orange, which I will of course be referring him as in today’s review.

I first discovered Blood Orange shortly after the release of his fourth studio album, titled Negro Swan. It was through this project that I was able to delve into his beautifully atmospheric sound; and quite honestly, I was hooked! There was a true charm to not only the album, but Blood Orange as an artist that really allowed him to stand out as a cut above the rest when it came to creating music that evoked a certain feeling of importance.

In the year following the release of Negro Swan, we were blessed with the mixtape known as Angel’s Pulse, which once again was incredibly enjoyable. But from there on out, years went by where fans like myself were itching for the next dose of the Blood Orange sound.

Aside from the occasional feature, we didn’t get to hear much of this. But as the year of 2022 begins to approach its final third, we finally received a brand new project from Blood Orange, in the form of an EP.

As the title suggests, Four Songs does indeed include…well…four songs. Considering that this is the first big project we have received from the artist in a matter of years, I was hoping that we could perhaps get a little more out of Blood Orange (especially when one considers just how beefy Negro Swan was).

Nevertheless, Four Songs clocks in at near eleven-and-a-half minutes, which is fairly decent as far as EPs go. Besides which, it may serve as a similar case to Turnstile last year, where this EP could perhaps be secretly teasing something bigger.

But now that I have most of my thoughts towards the actual build of the EP itself, it’s time to share my thoughts on the music itself. I’m very pleased to say, that Blood Orange hasn’t lost a shred of that unique atmosphere. On top of that, it feels like the perfect kind of mood for a musical project released in the autumn.

This EP was teased by one track; that being “Jesus Freak Lighter”. This track perfectly encapsulates everything I had just mentioned about that sobering yet uplifting autumnal feel, as does the cover art for the EP. The remaining three tracks follow suit as well, but arguably strike even more resemblance to some of the older material Blood orange has released.

But being as short of an EP as Four Songs is, there’s only so much I can honestly write about. However, I am very confident in stating that this EP is a quick reminder that Blood Orange is still a stylistic champion at what he does.

Epilepsy Warning for visualiser

Favourite Tracks: Something You Know | Wish

RCA Records | Sony Music

Final Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐