JAMES BLAKE ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM FRIENDS THAT BREAK YOUR HEART OUT 10th SEPTEMBER 2021
FIRST SINGLE SAY WHAT YOU WILL WITH ACCOMPANY MUSIC VIDEO FEATURING A GUEST APPEARANCE FROM FINNEAS IS OUT NOW
PRE-ORDER JAMES BLAKE’S FRIENDS THAT BREAK YOUR HEART HERE
WATCH/ SHARE MUSIC VIDEO FOR SAY WHAT YOU WILL HERE
Mercury Music Prize and GRAMMY® Award winning UK singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer James Blake has announced his fifth studio album, Friends That Break Your Heart, due out 10th September 2021, via Polydor Records.
Blake joined Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1 for Hottest Record in the World to premiere the album’s first single, Say What You Will alongside co-hosting the show. The accompanying music video for the single is directed by Bear Damen and features a guest appearance from Finneas.
Of the single, James says, The song is about finding peace with who you are and where you’re at regardless of how well other people seem to be doing. Comparison really is the thief of joy.
Friends That Break Your Heart follows the Covers EP – a collection of Blake’s favourite covers, including his critically acclaimed cover of Frank Ocean’s Godspeed – and his 2019 released, GRAMMY® nominated album Assume Form which was his highest charting album in both the UK and US to date.
More recently James has worked with Dave on the rapper’s second studio album We’re All Alone In This Together and featured on Slowthai’s chart topping album TYRON.
James Blake’s first new full-length album in two years, Friends That Break Your Heart, will feature collaborations from JID & SwaVay, Monica Martin and SZA. James worked closely with British artist Miles Johnston to design a cover reflective of the album. The result is a visual encapsulation of the emotions brought forth throughout the body of work.
FRIENDS THAT BREAK YOUR HEART Tracklist
- Famous Last Words
- Life Is Not The Same
- Coming Back (feat. SZA)
- Funeral
- Frozen (feat. JID & SwaVay)
- I’m So Blessed You’re Mine
- Foot Forward
- Show Me (feat. Monica Martin)
- Say What You Will
- Lost Angel Nights
- Friends That Break Your Heart
- If I’m Insecure
ABOUT JAMES BLAKE
The Mercury Music Prize & GRAMMY® Award-winning UK singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer unassumingly operates as the enigmatic engine behind some of the most influential albums of the 21st century. He produced choice cuts on Frank Ocean’s Blonde and Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. as well as JAY-Z’s 4:44 and Beyoncé’s Lemonade—to which he also lent his voice in both cases. Feature appearances span Stop Trying to Be God with Stevie Wonder and Kid Cudi on Travis Scott’s epic ASTROWORLD and King’s Dead with Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, and Future from the chart-dominating Black Panther: The Album. The latter not only went triple-platinum, but it also earned Blake his first GRAMMY® Award in the category of Best Rap Performance. Simultaneously, he emerged as pop’s most celebrated outlier with his dynamic solo output. He introduced a singular sound on 2011’s James Blake. Awarding the record a rare 9.0-out-of-10 score, Pitchfork crowned it one of Top 100 Albums of the Decade So Far (2010-2014). On its heels, the 2013 Overgrown illustrated his rare magnetic ability to align the likes of Brian Eno and RZA on the same project. It notably received the 2013 Mercury Prize and secured Blake’s Best New Artist nomination at the GRAMMY® Awards. After 2016’s The Colour In Anything, he reached new critical and commercial peaks with Assume Form during 2019. It bowed at #6 on the UK Album Chart, marking his highest entry to date. Beyond clocking 300 million cumulative streams in under a year, it garnered the GRAMMY® nomination for Best Alternative Album and graced Best of 2019 lists for outlets including Time Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Stereogum, Consequence of Sound, Billboard, DJ Booth, and Esquire. Additionally, he oversees 1-800 Dinosaur, which spans a club night, record label, and radio show. As he prepares his fifth album, James Blake’s shadow over popular music only continues to grow.
