Blood Orange Drops Videos for “Charcoal Baby” and “Jewelry”

Blood Orange has unveiled music videos for two new songs, “Charcoal Baby” and “Jewelry“. The two tracks are set to appear on his upcoming album Negro Swan, due out August 24th. You can check out the stunning, R&B-driven visuals below.

“Charcoal Baby” and The Crack Stevens-directed video opens up with a spoken word introduction, centered on the themes of family, community, and acceptance. The silky, pop-R&B single is illustrated by a series of split screens, flashing intimate moments between childhood and family friends, embracing their vulnerability and togetherness. Porches’ Aaron Maine co-wrote the track, while EVA provided backing vocals.

Meanwhile, the stripped-down “Jewelry” begins with an introduction from Janet Mock, who also stars in the music video, alongside Kai the Black Angel and Ian Isiah. The hazy, sax and guitar-driven “Jewelry” is a beautiful, spare piece. Hynes croons, “Seek what you need to get by/ Awake with one eye closed/ In dark black clothes/ Red and blue lights on my stone.”

Negro Swan, due out August 24th, follows 2016’s Freetown Sound. In a statement, Hynes said the new LP “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. A reach back into childhood and modern traumas, and the things we do to get through it all. 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.”

Blood Orange will embark on a North American Tour in support of Negro Swan beginning August 5th in Quebec, and continue through the end of October.