Blood Orange’s “E.V.P.” Is the Heart of Freetown Sound‘s NYC
New York City is a patchwork of contradictions: A place where extravagant lofts fight for corners with disintegrating neighborhoods, where feelings of isolation strike most harshly on packed subway cars, where we encounter difference by gravitating towards the familiar. To become a “New Yorker” is in part to embrace the city’s paradoxical nature.
Dev Hynes might as well be a poster child for the city as far this goes. The precision with which he renders his adopted home is one of the many things that makes Freetown Sound so remarkable. If the rest of Freetown Sound explores New York’s alleyways, clubs, and parks, album centerpiece “E.V.P” looks out from the observation deck of the Empire State Building.
On it, he flashes his uncanny ability to make disparate elements gel. “E.V.P”’s hook is among his catchiest—and yet, were it to formally break out, it would be one of the most melancholic choruses on pop radio. “How could you know if you’re squandering your passion for another,” he sings at one point, following it up with the the all-too-real question “Do you ever think, boy?/Or does it just feel better alone?/Feeling the comfort of sadness in a new set of surroundings.” The unabashedly ‘80s saxes, synths, and drum lines have a modern sheen and snap to them that keep the track feeling modern. New wave rock royalty Debbie Harry and relative newcomer Bea1991 sit next to one another on the track seamlessly, with both of their stunning performances ushered along by the groove.
“E.V.P.” would be a completely different song outside of the context of NYC. It’s an anthem for those excited for a fresh beginning, but afraid of losing themselves in the process. It is, most directly, a love letter to the city by a master songwriter who’s traversed the best and worst its had to offer.
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