Angel's Pulse

Blood Orange - Angel's Pulse
Critic Score
Based on 14 reviews
2019 Ratings: #611 / 805
User Score
Based on 718 ratings
2019 Rank: #428
Liked by 20 people
July 12, 2019 / Release Date
Mixtape / Format
Domino / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

80
Pitchfork

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.

80
DIY
While the mixtape is clearly still rooted in the world of ‘Negro Swan’, ‘Angel’s Pulse’ proves that sticking around in older ground for a little longer can still bear some sweet fruit.
80
Clash

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.

80
Northern Transmissions

It’s the type of collection that most artists would hope to release as a bona fide album.

80
Highsnobiety

There are enough genres and enough textures in here for everyone. No prejudice, no pain; just sounds.

80
The Young Folks

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.

70
PopMatters

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.

70
AllMusic

Flow is minimal, consequently making it come off like a hurried dub for an unplanned ride.

70
Exclaim!

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.

60
The Guardian

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.

60
The Needle Drop

There are quite a few good ideas on Angel's Pulse; unfortunately they aren't fleshed out enough, nor do they reinforce one another.

60
The Observer

This is a lounge-y mixtape that drifts comfortably within Hynes’s beautiful sonic realm.

60
The Sydney Morning Herald
It's clear from this mix-tape that Hynes is bursting with concepts, but in a rare misstep he lacks the finesse that's usually found on a Blood Orange record. Perhaps this is a list of B-sides after all; tracks that were better left on the cutting room floor.
45
Spectrum Culture

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.

morningsbell
88

funny how this is more consistent, elaborate instrumentally, daringly composed & written than his last two LPs but we (plane emoji) fantano circlejerk

zachthesnack
76

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

Gudetrauma
78

score is subject to change
edit: it good

Peddror
80

highlights: Dark & Handsome, Baby Florence (Figure), Happiness.
lowlight: Tuesday Feeling.

IsaacGrave
64

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

Fripp
96

Honestly the most enjoyable Blood Orange album.
FAVS: ALL
MEH: I Wanna C U

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Added on: July 8, 2019