Blood Orange beg for an aristocratic 2-step with "Benzo"

Devonté 'Marie Antoinette could never' Hynes has released a mixtape titled Angel's pulse, and with it a music video that's bound to make some say 'What in the actual fuck?'

Dev really be out here dancing to the beat of his own upright bass and not caring.

Devonté. You know you wrong for not making that hook longer and refusing to give the song a proper ending. I know this shit is on a mixtape, but DAMN. I really thought that it was just a music video edit of the song, but nope. Shit ends abrupt like that on the mixtape too.

Mess.

Vulture had asked the obvious question as to why Devonté chose to make Angel's pulse a mixtape and not just release it as an album. And he said...

I fell toward the word mixtape in terms of talking with everyone, friends and label and whatnot. In my ideal world, I just put it out, and people can do whatever.

It's just the next group of songs.
I think that’s why I gravitated toward 'mixtape'. I just want people, if they hear it, to enjoy it. I don’t want them to have to think about anything else.

It's an interesting take. Artists who have been in the game for as long as Dev Hynes who have already released several fully fledged albums seldom release mixtapes, unless they happen to be a rapper. And even then, when rappers reach a certain level of success, it's just albums, because that's what makes money.

There's was definitely a type of stigma and connotation that was attached to the term 'mixtape', which was a collection of unfinished, rough-around-the-edge songs to whet appetites or garner the attention of a major record label. But now, they're more of a way for an artist to put out a collection of songs when they don't have any major label support to facilitate a release. Or stop gap releases for artists who are aware that a full blown album may still be some time away. Angel's pulse is definitely the latter, but with a bit of the former. (Bitch. So many unfinished-ass sounding songs which sound good as they are, but would have been great if expanded upon and built out a little more).

But based on what Dev has said, it also seems like mixtapes could be a new form of outlet for him to put songs out there that he's ready to let go of, but not put a label on; as opposed to just holding onto them for God knows what. It sounds like an easy, standard thing to do - but not everybody is able to and not everybody wants to. So many artists will just sit on songs until they feel there's a concept, an album, the time is right, or the label tells them to just get their shit together and submit an album. It can be a struggle for some - something that I personally identify with. I've created many things that I've held onto and am not sure why. I tell myself that I'll release it when the time is right, not knowing what that time even is. Dev having reached this 'Fuck it' point must feel liberating. If only. I like that he's taking the pace of which he puts music out and when into his own hands. I wish more artists were more liberal with their approaches to releasing music, but respect it's not for everyone. But times are changing, and not every artist is in a position where they can go 2-3 years in-between albums and still get strongs sales and the attention.

Now, I can't talk about Dev Hynes, without mentioning the magic he created with Mariah Carey.

"Giving me life" is hands down one of the best songs on Mariah Carey's Caution and quite possibly one of my favourite Mariah songs. I was calling for a Mariah and Dev Hynes EP 30 seconds into that shit. Now they be kicking it together on Mariah's Instagram TV show and Mariah be tweeting how she can't wait to get back into the studio with Dev. Bitch. I'm-