Dev Hynes Returns as Blood Orange with ‘Essex Honey’

In an era of collective grief and fleeting digital trends, Dev Hynes—under his seminal moniker Blood Orange—has returned with a profound meditation on loss, memory, and the healing power of music. His first full-length album in seven years, Essex Honey, is out now via RCA Records

The album arrives as Hynes’ most cohesive and emotionally resonant work to date, weaving together hazy pop, feather-light funk, and orchestral melancholy into a tapestry that feels both intimately personal and universally relatable.

At 14 tracks and 46 minutes, it is a journey back to his roots in Essex, a county outside London, reflecting on youth, identity, and the meaning of “home” through a lens of recent personal loss.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Blood Orange (@devhynes)

In a poignant Instagram announcement, Hynes revealed the album was shaped by a significant loss—the passing of his mother in 2023—and the comfort he found in music during that period.

The album serves as a love letter to the artists who shaped him. Tracks are interwoven with musical Easter eggs and interpolations, creating a layered listening experience for those familiar with Hynes’ influences:

• “Westerberg” borrows its hook from The Replacements’ 1987 single “Alex Chilton,” transforming it into a soft, call-and-response reflection on nostalgia 

On “Mind Loaded,” Lorde’s haunting vocal delivers a line from Elliott Smith’s “Everything Means Nothing to Me“

“The Field” features a sample from the iconic British post-punk band The Durutti Column 

Hynes paints vivid pictures of his upbringing, singing on “The Last of England”: “Ilford is the place that I hold dear” 

True to Blood Orange form, the album features an enviable roster of contributors. Yet, in a masterful stroke, these artists are woven into the fabric of Hynes’ vision as textures rather than headline-grabbing features

• Lorde
• Caroline Polachek
• Daniel Caesar
• Mustafa
• Zadie Smith (who delivers a witty line about writer’s block on “Vivid Light”) 
• Brendan Yates (Turnstile)
• Tirzah
• Mabe Fratti
• The Durutti Column

Essex Honey is available now on all streaming platforms. The album is also available for purchase on CD