Dev Hynes, the singer-songwriter behind Blood Orange, just dropped both a new album, Freetown Sound, and a new music video for the track “Augustine.”
The British musician, who describes himself as “not gay… but not straight,” is known for writing pop hits for performers like Carly Rae Jepsen and Sky Ferreira. But Freetown Sound speaks more to identity politics than breakups or hitting the dance floor.
“My album is for everyone who’s told they’re not black enough, too black, too queer, not queer the right way. The under-appreciated,” Hynes posted on Instagram. “It’s a clap-back.”
“Augustine,” he says, addresses the hypocrisy of Christian sects that denounce homosexuality.
“[It’s] the idea that this religion based on the idea of finding this love and comfort so within the body would then shut out this very large aspect of love,” he told EW.
“There are a lot of moments on the album, and “Augustine” in particular, where I was taking some of the writing that I view as pretty religious and making [the lyrics] more homoerotic.”
He had actually planned to shoot the video for “Augustine” at Stonewall, but scrapped those plans when the bar became the focus of New York City’s vigil for the victims of Orlando.
Freetown Sound, which features collaborations with Carly Rae Jepsen and Nelly Furtado, is out now.