These days, albums get released with less and less notice. If it’s not a surprise drop, it’s not a shock to see a record come out a week after it’s announced. That’s the case with Dev Hynes’ latest: He recently announced that his latest Blood Orange mixtape Angel’s Pulse is coming out this Friday. Now he’s teased another preview of the record, a track called “Baby Florence.” He premiered the song during a two-hour takeover of London’s NTS Radio, and it’s alternately spacey and rooted in a strong groove.
In a recent interview, Hynes revealed the origin of the song’s title, saying that like other tracks of his, it’s named after where he recorded it, saying, “‘Berlin’ was made in Berlin, and ‘Baby Florence’ was made in Florence. There was a house in LA that I rented, and people would come by. Some of it was in Helsinki. Some of it was in Dubai. Everything was mixed and finished in New York at Electric Lady. It was really, really scattered.”
Hynes previously said of the mixtape, “I have a habit through the years of making records that I just give to friends, or on tape to people on the street or no one. Usually, this material is made directly after the album I’ve just put out. Somewhat of an epilogue to the thing I’ve made before. This time… I decided to release it. I put as much work and care into it as I do with the albums I’ve released, but for some reason trained myself into not releasing things the rate at which I make them. I’m older now though, and life is unpredictable and terrifying… so here you go mates.”
Listen to “Baby Florence” here, beginning at about 37 minutes in.
Angel’s Pulse is out 7/12 via Domino Records.
