One day in, Blood Orange fans are ready to declare Negro Swan his greatest accomplishment to date. Even casual rap fans who don't venture far from the station have begun to investigate his discography. Dev Hynes is a singular talent, scream it from the rafters. On "Out Of Your League," Steve Lacy of The Internet joins Hynes in scrounging for signal strength in the cold neck of the woods.
Dev is certainly the singer of the two, but Lacy's contributions aren't very difficult to pick out. The desired crunchy effect of snare drum pads permeates everything he touches musically, even though he's generally viewed as a guitarist. Hynes and Lacy have that in common: a willingness to build an index over time, perhaps to compensate for a lack of formal training. Then again, Negro Swan was never going to boast complex arpeggiated rhythms, mostly because Blood Orange consecrates most of his efforts towards regenerative energy, not the latter. Roll one, light one, and see this one out.
Quotable Lyrics:
Follow me under and never feel way too unique
This ain't a trap she'll get your body when you're starting to feel weak
Maybe a thing that you wanted is all that you need
Don't it fill no expectation better than the thoughts that you conceive?
-Dev Hynes