Chicago – “If giving left me lonely, if giving was my friend, I’m keeping all the old themes, I’m keeping my loose ends.”

“Cupid Deluxe”, the second album from Dev Hynes’s retro R&B project Blood Orange, is a vulnerable retrospect of the fragility of love, cloaked in slow jam new wave, throwback drum loops, and traces of acid jazz. The aforementioned opening lyrics from the first track “Chamakay” seem to convey an agreement with 19th Century English poet Lord Tennyson’s timeless testimony of, “Tis better to have loved and lost, Than never to have loved at all”. Of course Tennyson’s statement is biased because he did, presumably, “love” at a certain point in his life, and can never go back and undo the “love” he experienced. Therefore, for a sheer attempt at optimism, he has no choice but to say that “Tis better”.

Hynes prefers an “It is What It Is” approach to the topic of heartbreak, as evident in the song with the same title. During the verses, he existentially questions his motives in the relationship and their results, but when the chorus enters, it’s a female voice singing back to him, “Time will tell if you can figure this and work it out, No one’s waiting for you anyway so don’t be stressed now… It is what it is”. So, paraphrasing the chorus’s perception, time will heal all wounds, no need to quarrel over your silly temporary heartache, get over yourself. Bleak, but at least it’s somewhat progressive.

While Hynes tries to figure everything out, the music does its best to hug and cheer him up. Yet even when Hynes vocals and lyrics seek comfort within the confines of his music, he still seems rejected. The instrumentation alone on tracks like “Chosen” and “Always Let U Down” make you feel like cuddling with a significant other in front of the fireplace on a cold night, but Hynes sings as if he’s outside in the rain holding a stereo over his head. You want to get up and moonwalk across the floor to the Quincy Jones influenced jams “You’re Not Good Enough” and “Uncle Ace”, but lyrics like, “I never was in love, you know that you were never good enough” make you sit back down and reexamine your urge to groove. This juxtaposition makes “Cupid Deluxe” a panoramic listen of the relatable range in emotions love brings out in everyone.

If the DNA in Hynes’s production sounds familiar, it’s because his music has produced plenty of exposure through other artists. A few of his song credits in 2012 go to breakthrough singles like Sky Ferreira’s “Everything Is Embarrassing” and Solange’s “Losing You”, as well as previous collaborations with The Chemical Brothers, Basement Jaxx, and Florence and the Machine. After flirting with various music genres ranging from post-punk to folk through his former acts Test Icicles and Lightspeed Champion, Hynes really feels like he’s found his niche in Blood Orange. Whereas Blood Orange’s debut album “Coastal Grooves” predominantly featured stripped down catchy pop jams, “Cupid Deluxe” displays a variety of luscious keyboards, melancholy horns, and gritty 808 beats. Appearances from rappers Despot and Skepta on tracks “Clipped On” and “High Street” also suggest that Hynes could pursue more hip-hop based projects in the future. Regardless of where Hynes is headed next, “Cupid Deluxe” is a current exhibit of an artist coming into his own, fearless of risk, void of uncertainty, and full of ambition. 

Go here for more on Blood Orange.