The news that Dev Hynes is back with another Blood Orange project feels like salvation in this truly hellish timeline we're living in. Freetown Sound, released in 2016, still stands as one of the best pop records released in the past few years, and if Blood Orange's P4K Fest set was anything to go by, Negro Swan will sit up there too. Today, we get our first taste of Negro Swan in "Charcoal Baby", a new single co-written with Porches' Aaron Maine. It's a lightweight, beautifully-produced piece of pop that feels more akin to Hynes' pre-Freetown record, Cupid Deluxe, honestly. And it's great! Listen below:Negro Swan is due out on Domino on August 24. "My newest album is an exploration into my own and many types of black depression, an honest look at the corners of black existence, and the ongoing anxieties of queer/people of color," Hynes said of the record. "The underlying thread through each piece on the album is the idea of hope, and the lights we can try to turn on within ourselves with a hopefully positive outcome of helping others out of their darkness." Recently, Hynes appeared on A$AP Rocky's TESTING. Back in February, he also released two songs honouring Black History Month, as well as a collaboration with Girlpool.Shaad D'Souza is Noisey's Australian editor. Follow him on Twitter.
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