Perfect Pitch: Essex Honey

Belmont Vision Multimedia, Zach Watkins

Welcome back to another edition of “Perfect Pitch,” a series where members of the Belmont Vision review the latest releases in music and look for the next big thing.   

This week, we’ll be discussing “Essex Honey,” the sixth studio album from English singer-songwriter Devonté Hynes, also known as Blood Orange. 

His previous album, “Angel’s Pulse,” was released in 2019. Since then, he released several singles and EPs, including “Jesus Freak Lighter” and “Four Songs,” and he was featured on Tame Impala’s remix of "Borderline." In 2024, Blood Orange gained popularity on social media with the resurgence of his song “Champagne Coast” from his 2011 album "Coastal Grooves.” 

On “Essex Honey,” Blood Orange explores themes of navigating grief, identity and acceptance. He returns to his childhood birthplace, Essex, while discussing the loss of his mother in 2023. The project also features several notable artists, including Caroline Polachek, Mustafa, Daniel Caesar and Lorde. Following his usual standard, Hynes self-wrote, recorded and produced this album. 

Name: Benjamin Tino - Vision Writer 

Overall Rating: 8/10

General Thoughts: 

“Essex Honey” is Blood Orange’s largest feat of production that we have seen to date. Due to the period of time that Hynes broke out in, his artistry was very limited to spacy, reverb-heavy soft rock. Hynes is branching out on this record while still staying authentic to who he is as an artist. While this album is not very challenging to the listener, the grandiosity of tracks like “Look At You,” create a unique experience. “Essex Honey” scratches an itch of replayability and sonic diversity that not many artists have been able to achieve. Reminiscent of Kevin Parker, the singing on this album is very hazy and psychedelic, but the pop elements keep the listener thoroughly engaged. Opposed to his more recent projects, this album does not have the same groovy appeal, but rather a more beautiful soundscape. Throughout the project, Hynes is able to transform his anxiety-driven lyrics into juxtaposing, blissful melodies that make for an excellent clashing of ideas. 

Favorite Song: “The Field”

Least Favorite Song: “Scared of it”

Favorite Lyric: “In your grace, I looked for some meaning. But I found none, and I still search for a truth.”

Do the features on “Essex Honey” complement or challenge Blood Orange’s usual sound? 

The features on this album are a testament to Hynes’ ability to curate a studio album with ease. He took in frequent collaborators and placed them on songs where they would be able to gracefully shine through the soundscape that was made for them. The standout features on this album come from pop sensation Caroline Polachek, who has three appearances on the project. Mustafa and Lorde also had remarkable performances, but Polachek’s and Blood Orange’s chemistry was off the charts on these tracks. These cuts make up the best of the record, and show the detail that went into the project.

How does “Essex Honey” reflect Blood Orange’s growth as a musician since his previous album “Angel’s Pulse?” 

As a whole, “Angle’s Pulse” was a much more groovy record with more accessible and replayable production choices. This shows a clear evolution due to the increased intentionality with Hynes’ production choices on “Essex Honey.” “Angel’s Pulse” felt much more like a mixtape, as the project was all over the place sonically. On this album, there is a distinct soundscape and obvious themes that are being tackled throughout. While it may not be as replayable, the growth from the last record to this one yields a much better album experience.

Name: Nick Rampe - Managing Editor

Overall Rating: 5.5/10

General Thoughts: 

Blood Orange’s “Essex Honey” follows a long line of recent alternative R&B releases that focus heavily on subtle, spacey production paired with laid-back monotone vocal performances. Unfortunately, this album falls into many of the same pitfalls that those do. It doesn’t do much to diversify its sound as it progresses, making an experience coming in at just short of 47 minutes feel repetitive and monotonous. There’s not a single point on the album that can truly be pinpointed as bad, but it hardly does anything to give the listener something to latch on to sonically. Additionally, while the vocals are consistently pleasant on the ears, the lyrics lean much more on the side of vague pondering rather than having anything insightful to say, and Blood Orange is consistently outshined by his features, namely Caroline Polachek.

Favorite Song: “Mind Loaded”

Least Favorite Song: “Westerberg”

Favorite Lyric: “In your grace, I looked for some meaning. But I found none, and I still search for a truth.”

Do the features on “Essex Honey” complement or challenge Blood Orange’s usual sound? 

While I do think the features on this album complement the overall sound of the album, I also think that they overshadow Blood Orange himself. They all fit sonically, but they also often break up the monotony of the album, making me want to listen to the featured artists’ work rather than this project.

How does “Essex Honey” reflect Blood Orange’s growth as a musician since his previous album “Angel’s Pulse?” 

I haven’t listened to any of his previous work in full, so I can’t comment on his growth other than a few singles I’ve heard over the years. All I can say is that this has felt similar to the admittedly small amount of his music I’ve heard in the past.

Name: Ria Skyer - Senior Videographer and Writer

Overall Rating: 6/10

General Thoughts: 

Hynes’ new record is defined by three key aspects: collaborations, England and instruments.

On the last point, Hynes has made a habit of combining instrumentals and melodies that may not seem like they mesh. While he usually proves the listener otherwise, his tendency on “Essex Honey” to abandon instrumental sections before they resolve makes tracks like “Look At You” and “Westerberg” seem a lot shorter than they are.

Favorite Song: “The Field”

Least Favorite Song: “Life”

Favorite Lyric: “Ich stehe kurz vor dem Abgrund.”

Do the features on “Essex Honey” complement or challenge Blood Orange’s usual sound? 

Eight out of the 14 tracks on this run have other singers in the artist's credit line, ranging from Lorde to Mustafa. The diversity of collaborators, specifically within their vocal ranges, opens up a wider emotional palette for the listener to follow. The album adopts an otherworldly sound, yet remains grounded in the United Kingdom through lyrical references and current trends. That is Blood Orange’s ethos in a nutshell.

How does “Essex Honey” reflect Blood Orange’s growth as a musician since his previous album, “Angel’s Pulse?” 

The highly digital sound of “Angel’s Pulse” makes its formation easy to predict, it uses mostly MIDI instruments and a wider use of sampling will usually indicate this, as this record includes. Though Hynes created “Essex Honey” with his usual start-to-finish surveillance, the outsourcing of featured talents is more obvious. This doesn’t feel like exponential growth, just more obviously collaborative than “Angel’s Pulse” and a bit more out of his usual circle like his work on “Cupid Deluxe.”

Name: Samantha Graessle - Arts and Entertainment Editor. 

Overall Rating: 7/10 

General Thoughts: 

“Essex Honey" admittedly is Blood Orange’s most subdued project. The production felt like layers were purposefully removed to make it feel raw and exposed. In the same way, the lyrics were straightforward and often did not have much variety. To me it felt intentional, reflecting the numbness and desolation of grieving a loved one. I also enjoyed the variety of instruments Hynes implemented throughout the album like blending saxophone solos with heavy bass, expressing the duality of emotions his lyrics captured. He also featured several well known and established musicians who complimented his sound. While I do appreciate the concept he was going for, my attention started waning by the end of the album due to the low spirited sound. 

Favorite Song: “Mind Loaded”

Least Favorite Song: “Scared of It”

Favorite Lyric: “When the world’s in your hand, you can’t be inside of it. Light was just for hope and it keeps flickering.”

Do the features on “Essex Honey” complement or challenge Blood Orange’s usual sound? 

Seeing names like Lorde, Daniel Caesar and Caroline Polachek in the lineup for the feature excited me when I first saw the presave for “Essex Honey.” After listening to the album, they were not what I expected, often working more as background vocals to compliment Hynes’ production rather than shining through with their individual style. While this stylistic choice was cohesive with the rest of the project, I was underwhelmed by several of the features. However, I really enjoyed Polachek's features on “Mind Loaded” and “The Field.” Her signature style complemented Hynes' production. 

How does “Essex Honey” reflect Blood Orange’s growth as a musician since his previous album “Angel’s Pulse?” 

The differences between “Angel’s Pulse” and “Essex Honey” reflect Blood Orange’s maturity as an artist. “Angel Pulse” fell more into bedroom pop and R&B sounds with less orchestration and relied more on synth production. “Essex Honey” is not as production-heavy, and I think it shows Hynes’ ability to produce and create music utilizing different instruments and his ability to capture emotions in his songwriting and creative process. One similarity I appreciate between them both was the use of features. Both albums showcase Hynes’ broad musicianship and ability to incorporate another artist's sound into his project while keeping it his own.