Dev Hynes’ new mixtape feels light and loose, a pre-production sketchbook presented as a charmingly finished product with the help of several key guests.
The first four tracks and ‘Take It Back’ are some of his strongest so far. It’s a gratifying epilogue to last year’s effort.
It’s the type of collection that most artists would hope to release as a bona fide album.
There are enough genres and enough textures in here for everyone. No prejudice, no pain; just sounds.
If anything, Angel’s Pulse represents an intermission-an “escape” from the darkness if you will. Which, is maybe something all of us need after these last four years.
Angel's Pulse is reminiscent of soup. A thick soup. A lot of these tracks feel directionless, monotonous, or like scraps. But still, there's something that makes you want to enter them.
Flow is minimal, consequently making it come off like a hurried dub for an unplanned ride.
More than pointing the way forward, Angel's Pulse seems to be closing the door on this phase of Hynes' creative journey. No mere addendum, it lives up to the high bar set by Hynes, while giving us a small, but significant, glimpse into his process.
To get to the good stuff takes a degree of patience and involves a route that passes through a fair amount of noodly self-indulgence.
There are quite a few good ideas on Angel's Pulse; unfortunately they aren't fleshed out enough, nor do they reinforce one another.
This is a lounge-y mixtape that drifts comfortably within Hynes’s beautiful sonic realm.
This is Hynes’ song-diary, filled to the margins with prototypes he might fashion into hits one day. But for the time being, his vault is a slog.
funny how this is more consistent, elaborate instrumentally, daringly composed & written than his last two LPs but we (plane emoji) fantano circlejerk
Altruistic rnb singer Blood Orange makes a respectable return to the game after last year’s smash hit: Negro Swan.
There is a certain sincerity and longing to Blood Orange’s voice. It feels like he is yearning for love and affection but hea also scared of being hurt. Blood Orange has shown in the past that he is an extremely passionate and darkly expressive artist who isnt afraid of tackling tough issues On “Angels Pulse” the themes of sexual longing, race and fear all ... read more
this album feels like it is just trying to do too much, and what it does mostly works well but it just is doing to much to the point where i wish he would pick a lane and stick to it because when he keeps moving things around he isn't sticking everything and it causes the project to feel disjointed and kinda jagged. Also a lot of these tracks feel like they are just kinda here and aren't really doing anything maybe that's just me though.
I really enjoy a lot of the singing and production on ... read more
1 | I Wanna C U 1:14 | 79 |
2 | Something to Do 0:51 | 76 |
3 | Dark & Handsome 2:33 feat. Toro y Moi | 77 |
4 | Benzo 2:30 | 80 |
5 | Birmingham 1:33 | 73 |
6 | Good for You 2:22 feat. Justine Skye | 75 |
7 | Baby Florence (Figure) 2:57 | 74 |
8 | Gold Teeth 3:01 | 83 |
9 | Berlin 1:58 | 74 |
10 | Tuesday Feeling (Choose to Stay) 2:57 feat. Tinashe | 75 |
11 | Seven Hours, Pt. 1 2:40 feat. BennY RevivaL | 63 |
12 | Take It Back 4:22 | 76 |
13 | Happiness 2:09 | 73 |
14 | Today 1:19 | 71 |
#38 | / | Dummy |
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#39 | / | The Young Folks |
#49 | / | Norman Records |
#68 | / | Noisey |
/ | Esquire (UK) | |
/ | FACT |