Release of the Week: Blood Orange - Charcoal Baby
Blood Orange is the alias of Devonte Hynes, who has been able to capture the sound of 2018. This year has been witness to more bands and artists taking on a more holistic approach to their art, a popular example would be Donald Glover who moves seamlessly between his multiple talents. Hynes similarly expresses his talent though various channels as a singer, songwriter, composer, producer, dancer and director. Additionally, he has been a long-term LGBTQ supporter, running a music and art workshops for this community to thrive. Devonte has also discussed how his synesthesia relates to composing tracks, a topic which has garnered great attention in 2018. Synesthesia is the connecting of the 5 known senses of world, for instance, turning a pattern of colours into a musical rhythm or vice versa. And lastly, Devonte under the Blood Orange moniker has crafted a truly monumental track representative of this year's musical characteristics: a spoken word intro, an authentic big-band sound, a dabble with autotune and a resounding message pertaining to hope and being the truest version of one's self.
'Charcoal Baby' opens with an emphatic introductory statement about '"not shrinking yourself" and feeling at ease being vulnerable. "You show up as you are, without judgement" typifies the track's message while still in its prelude. The clever layering of drums, lead and bass guitar allows the song to ooze out with a charismatic swagger. Devonte lowers his vocal register to deliver the verse in a wispy manner. With no instrumental or vocal element being too overpowering, the chorus effortlessly blends in. The lines "no one wants to be the odd one out" is celebrated through the visual catalogue of diverse characters appearing on screen. Blood Orange then uses the character of the "negro swan" to state how the oddity of your personality is to be seen as a rarity deserving admiration, rather than something to be explained through hindsight. Incorporating current sounds, particularly through the vocal distortion during the bridge, 'Charcoal Baby' is completely indicative of the trends that will define 2018, while establishing a unique formula that other artists will surely follow in the coming years. Hence why ‘Charcoal Baby’ sets the tone for the rest of 2018, with only more to come when the full album, Negro Swan is released on August 24.
