A few months ago, Blood Orange shared his mixtape Angel’s Pulse, that he described as “somewhat of an epilogue” to his last album Negro Swan. Following up on the “Benzo” visuals, he has now unveiled a clip for “Dark & Handsome,” a highlight off the mixtape that we featured in our Best Tracks of 2019. The self-directed and edited visuals also include an appearance from Toro y Moi, who is also present on the track. Watch below.

[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_weF3CN5I8″]

New York-based singer-songwriter Aaron Maine, better known as Porches, has returned with “rangeover”, the first track since the release of his third album The House last year. For this new single, the artist has linked up with Dev Hynes, who sings backup here. It also comes with a long statement about his love affair with music and his touring experiences that you read below.

[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIH4iNDuk1I”]

I’ve been making music as Porches since 2009. Porches can be a country song, a dance song, a punk song, a pop song or anything in between. It’s an exploration of any sound or idea that I find interesting in that moment, the idea being that these seemingly isolated ideas will become unified in the context of the Porches catalogue. Porches is my love affair with music.

Sometimes you can string words together that don’t make sense literally, but they capture whatever the sentiment is so perfectly that it doesn’t matter. You know when it feels right, and you know when it feels wrong. I try and keep what I make close to home. Sometimes that home is fantasy, sometimes it’s autobiographical, but it’s always a way to interpret my experiences in a way that is intimate to me.

Like any other type of diary, when you open up an old one you can feel all sorts of things: proud, ashamed, excited, mortified, humbled, out of your mind, smart, idiotic. I feel all of these things about Porches.

For as many turns the music has made, I’ve decided to stick to the Porches moniker, to come to terms with and confront my evolution as an artist as well as a person. As clunky as that may be, it comes back to wanting to accept and explore who I am, what I feel, and how I communicate that. I want to swim to the bottom of myself and find the weirdest most special and pure shit that I can offer.

I recently did some Porches shows as a solo act, and while it won’t be the only way I perform live in the future, there is something about going up on stage alone with a laptop or a keyboard that feels more confronting and open to me than showing up with a 5-piece band. I feel nervous and on my toes like I haven’t in a long time, and when that nervous energy works for me, it can really transform the performance into something exciting. It’s just you and the audience, it’s very intimate, it’s very visceral, it’s very revealing. I feel you have a short time on this planet, and I’m interested in connecting with people, and exploring the different ways you can do that.

Music keeps me alive and I hope that by continuing to make and release it, I can make some people laugh, cry, fall in love, lose their shit, smile, run around, and most importantly help them to feel alive for a brief moment.

A few days after the release of his mixtape Angel’s Pulse, which is described as “somewhat of an epilogue” of his latest album Negro Swan, Blood Orange has shared a self-directed video for the track “Benzo”. Revisiting the rococo aesthetic of Versailles in a black and queer way, the stylish and high-fashion visuals feature Dev Hynes himself alongside regular collaborator Ian Isiah. Watch below.

[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeTzwtkFnls”]

Following up on her amazing track and video for “My Own Heaven,” Amsterdam-based experimental pop and bedroom R&B artist BEA1991 has finally announced the release of her debut album. Coming with this exciting news, here’s a bewitching new single, “Did You Feel Me Slip Away?,” featuring the bass and vocals of Dev Hynes in the intro. An emotional ballad loaded with haunting, sophisticated vocals, the track is another great offering from the Dutch multi-skilled artist. Watch the accompanying video below.

[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bfL_AvJpvQ”]

Blood Orange‘s tracks are always a pleasant dabbling of R&B and Electronica, resulting in very chill and relaxing songs that are easy to unwind to. “Augustine” is no exception to this, and is not only both mellifluous and soothing but also subtly powerful. It pours into your soul and fills you with an emotion that is somehow both cool and crisp, but also pleasantly warm and citrusy.

“Augustine” begins with a simple drum machine, clearing the air and setting a solid foundation to the song. It’s snappy, but striking, with strong beats punching through the soundscape. With the drop of the first guitar note, the song transforms into something surreal and ethereal. The sounds of the guitar seeps into the gaps left by the pounding beats, painting a new color and breathing in a new vibe. It spreads through the song like spilled ink dissipating into water.

With the very first piano chord, Hynes begins to sing. Through the first verse, he talk-sings his way through a backdrop of bright and relaxing piano notes. The vibes are very toned down and low-key. His voice is low and subtle, riding through just under the music. You would almost miss it if you weren’t paying close enough attention. His voice and the words he speaks makes you feel like you’re walking through the sidewalks of the city at night, with street lamps gently lighting your way. It’s dark and cool and crisp, but softly illuminated by the chords wrapping around you. These are the sounds played in your head when you’re alone, but not lonely. The kind of aloneness you feel when you’re weaving a new experience, and walking through the threshold of life with gumption.

The chorus picks up, and Hynes‘ voice rises up and swells, and it almost feels churchy (which is supplemented by the fact that he’s quoting Saint Augustine). His voice fills the air and echos and wraps around your ears. The subtleness of the first verse is contrasted by the fullness of the chorus. The sound grows and intensifies, but succeeds in maintaining the same mellowness that makes it appealing and refreshing to vibe to.

Through the second verse his voice is strong, and filled with more inflection. He directly references Trayvon Martin and his words reflect the helplessness and loss felt in situations like this in America. He encapsulates the susceptibility of black individuals in everyday American life. The words that particularly struck me in this verse were “Tell me, did you lose your son?/Tell me, did you lose your love?”.

Samantha Urbani lends her smooth vocals to the outro of the song, her voice intertwining with Hynes‘. Hynes references Nontetha Nkwenkwe, a South African prophetess and leader that was, in an attempt to subdue her, declared mad by the government and institutionalized until her death. He also sings in Krio, the national language of Sierra Leone, a nod to the ethnic background of his father. It’s a quite the powerful auditory experience. It feels rallying, especially with his use of the word “we”. By using the language of his father’s homeland, he builds a lovely cross cultural bridge, bringing together the different human experiences felt throughout the world.

“Augustine” is the perfectly subtle blend of vibes. It’s mellow and cool, and easy to close your eyes and just get lost in the tapestry of sound rising and falling. Heck, the beat even loops perfectly so it’s easy to keep repeating. However, at the same time the richness of the sound and the quality of his lyrics invokes powerful imagery and emotions associated with struggle and the novelty of life experienced ubiquitously around the globe.

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXtzcViZPGA”]

Check out Blood Orange on Facebook, Twitter, and Soundcloud!