Blood Orange - Sandra’s Smile

Blood Orange has been releasing a few standalone bits and bobs lately. First came the emotive, politically charged spoken word of ‘Do You See My Skin Through The Flames?’, then a mix containing 46-minutes’ worth of new music. This week it was the turn of another Blood Orange one-off, ‘Sandra’s Smile’.

On first impressions, this has got straight-up massive pop jam written all over it in permanent gold sharpie; crisp, space-filled beats at every step, Hynes’ soulful, gliding vocal locking into place like minimal tetris. Typically, though, there’s a political, and very affecting side to ‘Sandra’s Smile’. In name and sentiment, it’s dedicated to Sandra Bland, a black American woman who died in suspicious circumstances while in police custody. She had originally been pulled over for a minor traffic violation, and was a prolific activist for civil rights, and the Black Lives Matter campaign.

“You watched her pass away the words she said weren’t faint,” sings Hynes, referring to the distressing dashcam footage of Bland’s arrest which was subsequently shown across the world. “Closed our eyes for a while, but I still see Sandra’s smile.” “Had enough for today,” he says, elsewhere. Hynes has written a touching tribute to every single black American who has suffered at the hands of police brutality.