The collective listening events of albums – known as listening parties – resist the era of the playlists and the alleged attention deficit. They have consolidated as a way of socializing around a favorite artist and enjoying records in a “exclusive” way, before most. Artists such as Aitana have made them massive events, while album stores around the world, for example, the wrong genius, in Barcelona, resort to them to gather melómanos in their space, recently around Ethel Cain’s last album.
Then there are the events of “blind music”, very popular in recent times. In these meetings the public listens, in the dark, complete albums, normally classics in the history of artists such as Radiohead, Depeche Mode or, among the latest additions into the canon, Rosalía or Taylor Swift. These events do not have a promotional purpose, but purely recreational.
Artists celebrate exclusive listening to albums as a way to reward loyalty and support of their fans. Among the last ones to join Fashion is Blood Orange, which these days has presented its new album, ‘Essex Honey’, in several cities in the world, including Barcelona.
In the Nica Space of Casa Bonay, a select group of followers of Dev Hynes, who have accessed the prior entry reserve space, meets to discover in first the songs of the album. The place, with red curtains and armchairs illuminated by a warm light, keeps the bar open for those who want to approach a beer. The atmosphere is attentive but relaxed: it is not a solemn ceremony: the feeling is to be at home sharing music with friends, although with the respect that requires facing unpublished material, almost as if it were a secret.
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The space also stands out for its sound quality, something that is clearly perceived when listening to ‘Essex Honey’, an album rich in jazz nuances, indie-pop, R&B and folk, and so restless that the songs can include different genres and styles within themselves. Some, like the well -known ‘Somowhere in Between’, resort to constant changes in rhythm and musical sections, but the atmosphere always remains as urban as melancholic. Hynes conceives the album as an exploration of the duel and a reflection on his youth, and as an attempt to process these emotions within a context of “grief and collective loss.”
The version presented at the event flows without pauses, which sometimes makes it difficult to follow each song. From the beginning with the hypnotic ‘look at you’, the public receives the self -absorbed music, closing the eyes, tilting the head, shyly observing the reaction of the rest of the attendees. Most listen to the album sitting on the floor, but others relax in armchairs and sofas. I am escaping a smile listening to the beautiful pastoral composition ‘Countryside’, but the general feeling is that the public is wrapped by music and its details.
The music of ‘Essex Honey’ is varied, mutant, elusive. Suddenly ‘Lost of England’ includes violins that introduces an accelerated breakbeat beat; Suddenly the voices of Caroline Polachek and Lorde emerge, unmistakable, in the beautiful ‘Mind Loaded’. ‘Life’, the sexiest song (“I want to see you naked all night”) passes from the slow jam r & b to the minimalist guitar in a tab: Tirzah’s voice suddenly finds his place, sounding as warm as ever.
As if Dev Hynes would like to review decades of music history or even his own career as an artist and producer, ‘Essex Honey’ does not fear moving from ‘Westerberg’ electron flutes, strings of all kinds- and the fluid and free character of the compositions. And ‘(i listened) ever night’ even introduces percussions with echoes to the samba, only to move to the dance floor immediately after. ‘Essex Honey’ is published this Friday.
