Cupid Deluxe dives into the vast mind of Dev Hynes who is an artist with almost too many ideas. At one moment the album is laid-back EDM pop to soft rock with sax balladry to ’90s New Jack Swing to hip-hop and chillwave. These juxtapositions of styles and Hyne’s deeply emotional lyrics leaves you guessing throughout the album and its direction.
Much like Coastal Grooves, this album contains tracks that are catchy, hypnotizing, and deep. Dev Hynes and his gang of collaborators (who include Caroline Polachek of Chairlift, Friends’ Samantha Urbani, Dirty Projectors’ David Longsteth, and Clams Casino) manage to take the sound to a whole other level – this album is full-blown and evolved.
No wonder Dev Hynes is one of the most sought after songwriters in the business.
Cupid Deluxe is a near-perfect album – 11 songs laced with lots of soul and energy. The instrumentation, and choruses are outrageously catchy. My favourite songs include (“Time Will Tell”, “It Is What It Is”, “Clipped On”, “High Street”, “On The Line” and “Chamakay”).
Purchase: Blood Orange – Cupid Deluxe (iTunes)
