Cupid Deluxe is the second album by Dev Hynes as Blood Orange, and is the follow-up to 2011's Coastal Grooves. The album was released on 18 November 2013 in the UK, and was available worldwide a week earlier on iTunes on 12 November 2013.
| Cupid Deluxe | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 18 November 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2011–2013 New York City | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 51:10 | |||
| Label | Domino | |||
| Producer | Devonté Hynes | |||
| Blood Orange chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Cupid Deluxe | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.5/10[3] |
| Metacritic | 75/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [5] |
| Chicago Tribune | [6] |
| The Guardian | [7] |
| The Independent | [8] |
| Los Angeles Times | [9] |
| NME | 6/10[10] |
| Pitchfork | 8.5/10[11] |
| Rolling Stone | [12] |
| Spin | 8/10[1] |
| Vice | B+[13] |
Between albums, Hynes has written and produced music for the likes of Solange, Sky Ferreira, MKS, and more.
Cupid Deluxe shows a more expansive aural palate than the previous release Coastal Grooves, while still retaining the pop sensibilities that Hynes has showcased since his days in Test Icicles and Lightspeed Champion. The album features many guest appearances, including performances from David Longstreth (Dirty Projectors), Caroline Polachek (Chairlift), Samantha Urbani (Friends), Clams Casino, Despot, Adam Bainbridge (Kindness), Skepta and more. The album was streamed in full on Hynes' own YouTube channel on 5 November 2013.[14]
Speaking about the album, Hynes said it was inspired by "New York City, the Big Apple. I lived in Brooklyn for some time and finally made the leap into Manhattan. So a lot of the record is about that, transitions, life transitions. Moving from a stable position to an unstable position. Something we have all been through."[15]
Pitchfork Media ranked the record 35th among their top 200 albums of the 2010s article.[16]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Devonté Hynes, except "Always Let U Down" written by Paul Draper and Dominic Chad
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chamakay" | 4:20 |
| 2. | "You're Not Good Enough" | 4:21 |
| 3. | "Uncle ACE" | 4:17 |
| 4. | "No Right Thing" | 4:11 |
| 5. | "It Is What It Is" | 5:07 |
| 6. | "Chosen" | 6:45 |
| 7. | "Clipped On (feat. Despot)" | 3:11 |
| 8. | "Always Let U Down" | 5:14 |
| 9. | "On the Line" | 5:07 |
| 10. | "High Street" | 2:58 |
| 11. | "Time Will Tell" | 5:39 |
"Always Let U Down" is a cover of I Can Only Disappoint U by the English alternative rock band Mansun from their album Little Kix (2000).
Personnel
- Devonté Hynes – vocals, main instrumentation, composition, arrangement
- Despot - vocals on "Clipped On"
- Dave Longstreth - vocals on "No Right Thing"
- Caroline Polachek - vocals on "Chamakay", backing vocals and spoken part at the beginning on "Chosen"
- Samantha Urbani - vocals on "You're Not Good Enough", "No Right Thing", "It Is What It Is", "Chosen", "Always Let U Down", "On The Line", "Time Will Tell"
- Skepta - vocals on "High Street"
- Clams Casino - additional production on "No Right Thing"
- David "DJ" Ginyard - bass
- Jason Arce - saxophones and clarinet
- Adam Bainbridge (Kindness) - saxophone arrangement, vocals and drum tracks on "On The Line", "Time Will Tell"
- Mikaelin 'Blue' Bluespruce - engineer
- Tawiah - vocals on "Time Will Tell"
- Sam Beste - piano on "Time Will Tell"
- Blue May - guitar on "Time Will Tell"
References
External links
- Official Tumblr Page Archived 24 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- Official Soundcloud Page
- Official YouTube Channel