Essex Honey

Last updated

Essex Honey
Blood Orange - Essex Honey.png
Studio album by
Blood Orange
Released29 August 2025 (2025-08-29)
Length46:43
Label
Producer Devonté Hynes
Blood Orange chronology
Four Songs
(2022)		Essex Honey
(2025)
Singles from Essex Honey
  1. "The Field"
    Released: 26 June 2025
  2. "Somewhere in Between" / "Mind Loaded"
    Released: 17 July 2025
  3. "Countryside"
    Released: 27 August 2025

Essex Honey is the fifth studio album by English musician Dev Hynes, under his stage name Blood Orange. It was released on 29 August 2025 through a joint venture between RCA and Domino.

Contents

The album follows the 2022 EP Four Songs and marks his first full-length studio release since 2018's Negro Swan . It features contributions from Lorde, Caroline Polachek, Daniel Caesar, Mustafa the Poet, Brendan Yates of Turnstile, Naomi Scott, Amandla Stenberg and Zadie Smith, amongst others.

Background and promotion

Essex Honey marks Dev Hynes' debut studio album on RCA Records following his signing with the label in September 2022. [1] In a May 2024 interview with Esquire , he first revealed that he was working on new material. [2] The album was created during a period of grief and reflection on his upbringing in Essex, intertwined with how music has inspired and healed him throughout his life. [3] Hynes aims to process these emotions amid a cultural moment marked by "collective grief and loss", seeking resolution and acceptance. [4] The record is described as a personal exploration of grief and his Essex roots, with nods to artists such as Elliott Smith, The Replacements and his own earlier work. [5] Hynes self-produced and wrote the album, with songwriting contributions from the featured artists. [6]

The album announcement on 17 July 2025 coincided with the release of the dual single, "Somewhere in Between" and "Mind Loaded". [7] The lead single, "The Field" was released on 26 June 2025. [8] Prior to this, Hynes had announced U.S. tour dates for September 2025, alongside European and UK shows scheduled for the fall, including a pair of residency performances in Toronto and Brooklyn respectively. [9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.1/10 [10]
Metacritic 90/100 [11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [12]
Clash 8/10 [13]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [14]
MusicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [15]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [16]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [17]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [18]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Essex Honey received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 90 out of 100 from twelve critic scores. [11]

Track listing

Essex Honey track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Look at You" Devonté Hynes 3:00
2."Thinking Clean"Hynes3:35
3."Somewhere in Between"Hynes3:23
4."The Field" (featuring The Durutti Column, Tariq Al-Sabir, Caroline Polachek, and Daniel Caesar)
3:19
5."Mind Loaded" (featuring Caroline Polachek, Lorde, and Mustafa)
3:37
6."Vivid Light"Hynes4:23
7."Countryside" (featuring Eva Tolkin, Liam Benzvi, and Ian Isiah)
3:13
8."The Last of England"Hynes3:54
9."Life" (featuring Tirzah and Charlotte Dos Santos)
2:53
10."Westerberg" (featuring Eva Tolkin and Liam Benzvi)
3:27
11."The Train (King's Cross)" (featuring Caroline Polachek)
  • Hynes
  • Polachek
2:49
12."Scared of It" (featuring Brendan Yates and Ben Watt)
  • Hynes
  • Ben Watt
  • Brendan Yates
2:42
13."I Listened (Every Night)"
3:36
14."I Can Go" (featuring Mabe Fratti and Mustafa)
2:52
Total length:46:43

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. [19]

Charts

Chart performance for Essex Honey
Chart (2025)Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [20] 63
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [21] 113
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [22] 33
Scottish Albums (OCC) [23] 19
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [24] 43
UK Albums (OCC) [25] 69

References

  1. ↑ Ragusa, Paolo (17 July 2025). "Blood Orange Announces New Album Essex Honey, Shares Two New Songs". Consequence . Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  2. ↑ Rossignol, Derrick (17 July 2025). "Blood Orange Shares A Song With Lorde And Caroline Polachek To Announce Essex Honey, A New Album". Uproxx . Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  3. ↑ Eede, Christian (17 July 2025). "Blood Orange Reveals First Album in Six Years, Essex Honey". The Quietus . Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  4. ↑ Paul, Larisha (17 July 2025). "Dev Hynes Announces New Blood Orange Album Essex Honey Featuring Lorde, Caroline Polachek & More". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  5. ↑ Thompson, Jenna (17 July 2025). "Blood Orange to release first album in six years Essex Honey". Hot Press . Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  6. ↑ Breihan, Tom (17 July 2025). "Blood Orange Announces New Album Essex Honey Feat. Lorde, Brendan Yates, Zadie Smith, & More: Hear Two Tracks". Stereogum . Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  7. ↑ Strauss, Matthew (17 July 2025). "Blood Orange Enlists Lorde, Caroline Polachek, Turnstile's Brendan Yates, and More for New Album Essex Honey". Pitchfork . Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  8. ↑ "Blood Orange Shares New Songs "The Field" & "Somewhere in Between"". HotNewHipHop . 27 June 2025. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  9. ↑ Pilley, Max (17 July 2025). "Blood Orange shares two new songs and announces album Essex Honey featuring Lorde, Brendan Yates, Zadie Smith and more". NME . Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  10. ↑ "Essex Money by Blood Orange reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  11. 1 2 "Essex Money by Blood Orange Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  12. ↑ Kellman, Andy. "Essex Honey – Blood Orange". AllMusic . Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  13. ↑ Sandiford, Kayla (29 August 2025). "Blood Orange - Essex Honey | Reviews". Clash . Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  14. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (28 August 2025). "Blood Orange: Negro Swan review – mercurial, woke, choppy R&B". The Guardian . Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  15. ↑ Hogwood, Ben (5 September 2025). "Blood Orange – Essex Honey | Album Reviews". MusicOMH . Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  16. ↑ Evans, Georgia (28 August 2025). "Blood Orange – 'Essex Honey' review: stunning reflections on the meaning of home". NME . Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  17. ↑ Dukes, Will (2 September 2025). "Blood Orange Mourns Beautifully on 'Essex Honey'". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  18. ↑ Lyons-Burt, Charles (25 August 2025). "Blood Orange 'Essex Honey' Review: Hiding in Plain Sight". Slant Magazine . Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  19. ↑ "Essex / Blood Orange / Credits". Tidal . Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  20. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Blood Orange – Essex Honey" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  21. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Blood Orange – Essex Honey" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  22. ↑ "Official Top 40 Albums". Recorded Music NZ. 5 September 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  23. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  24. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Blood Orange – Essex Honey". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  25. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
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