Essex Honey (LP)
Blood Orange
Amoeba Review
There are moments of devastating beauty on Blood Orange's Essex Honey. Of course, with Dev Hynes, that's pretty much to be expected...but this album pierces with an even sharper edge than ever before. Written as a way of processing both personal and collective grief, the songs are hazy but potent, dreamy yet defiant. It's an album that washes over you, with waves of melancholy, beauty, and eventually transcendence. A virtual galaxy of stars from all walks make appearances, subtly yet ecstatically bringing a little extra sparkle to the already dazzling material: listen for The Durutti Column, Lorde, Caroline Polachek, Daniel Caesar, Mustafa the Poet, Brendan Yates (Turnstile), Naomi Scott, Amandla Stenberg and novelist Zadie Smith. Essex Honey is exceptional.