James Blake returns to dance music roots on new album

James Blake has announced a new album, ‘Playing Robots Into Heaven’, marking his first solo work since 2021 LP 'Friends That Break Your Heart'. It lands via September 8 via Polydor/Republic Records.

The album is set to explore the dance music sound he first debuted through releases on labels such as Hemlock Recordings, R&S and Hessle Audio, following the CMYK party series he launched with Rhonda INTL in LA last March, and is set to bring to London venue HERE on Thursday, July 6.

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The announcement arrives alongside lead single ‘Big Hammer’, which pairs a bleepy instrumental with a fast-paced and warped vocals submerged into the mix

An accompanying music video - directed by Oscar Hudson who has previously worked with the likes of Radiohead to Bonobo - follows a group of people on a joy-ride stealing from multiple shops.

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James Blake has also announced details of a European and North American headline tour, including one night at London’s Alexandra Palace. The tour kicks off just 10 days after the album’s release in Milan on September 18, before he travels to other cities such as, Paris, Montreal, Los Angeles and more.

Check out the album artwork, tracklist and music video to ‘Big Hammer’ below. Get tickets to see James Blake here.

Tracklist:

1. Asking to Break
2. Loading
3. Tell Me
4. Fall Back
5. He’s Been Wonderful
6. Big Hammer
7. I Want You to Know
8. Night Sky
9. Fire the Editor
10. If You Can Hear Me
11. Playing Robots Into Heaven