London-born and deeply rooted in New York, Dev Hynes has long blurred the boundaries between his homeland and adopted home. His “modern bohemianism,” as once noted by the New York Times, continues to flourish in everything from Harlem benefit performances to impromptu basketball games in the West Village. Under the moniker Blood Orange, Hynes crafts music that spans electronica, alternative R&B, and artful introspection, fused with lush visuals and cinematic flair. But in recent years, his artistry has deepened. After stretching himself across composing for film and theatre—including scores for Rebecca Hall’s Passing, and the Paul Schrader thriller, Master Gardener—Hynes returned to his personal sounds with renewed intimacy. In 2025, he released “The Field,” his first Blood Orange single in three years, and also directed its evocative video set in the rolling landscapes of his native England.

That momentum culminated in the announcement of Essex Honey, his first full-length Blood Orange album since Negro Swan in 2018. The record emerges from grief and memory—part reflection on loss, part elegy to Essex, and entirely rooted in emotional truth

Below are Dev Hynes’s favorite books, available to purchase as a set or individually.