JAMES BLAKE RELEASES NEW ALBUM PLAYING ROBOTS INTO HEAVEN TODAY
Credit: Thibaut Grevet
LISTEN TO PLAYING ROBOTS INTO HEAVEN HERE
Today, Mercury Music Prize and GRAMMY® Award-winning singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer James Blake presents his highly anticipated new album, Playing Robots Into Heaven, available now.
James Blake has carefully curated the record’s eleven tracks, threading together an arresting vision steeped in cinematic sonic architecture and elevated by emotionally charged vocals and eloquent songcraft. For as much as each individual cut captivates in its own right, the album traces a journey from “Asking To Break” through the epic conclusion on the title track “Playing Robots Into Heaven.” Throughout the album, he artfully integrates alternative, electronic, indie, and experimental vibes like only he can.
Check out the full tracklisting below.
Playing Robots Into Heaven was heralded with recent single “Loading”. Highlighting the intricacies and nuances of James’ signature style, it represents yet another artistic leap forward with its immersive production and irresistible refrain. Rolling Stone dubbed it “pulsating,” and HYPEBEAST noted, “Blake also shows off his vocals on ‘Loading’, tapping into his impressive falsetto that meshes seamlessly with the song’s melancholic melody.” DIY praised how it “showcases immersive production and glitchy beats alongside James’ rich vocal tones.” Complex summed it up best, “James Blake season is upon us.”
Blake initially set the stage for Playing Robots Into Heaven with the single “Big Hammer” (which samples The Ragga Twins), and the accompanying music video directed by Oscar Hudson (Radiohead, Bonobo).
Playing Robots Into Heaven follows the critically acclaimed Friends That Break Your Heart – James’ highest charting album in the UK to date – and will see James once again return to the electronic roots of his Hessle, Hemlock and R&S records days. It will also nod to his latest creation, the CMYK event series with Ronda INTL which kicked off in LA last March. All the CMYK events over the past year have sold out within minutes and featured appearances from special guests including Steve Lacy, Channel Tres, HAii and more. Arriving in the UK in July, the London CMYK event featured DJ Sets from, Fauzia, Luxe, Airhead and Mr Assister with surprise appearances from The Ragga Twins and Erick The Architect, while James was joined by Lil Yachty in the DJ booth.
To mark the release of Playing Robots Into Heaven, James will be embarking on a headline international tour, with dates in the UK, Europe and North America. Kicking off at the Fabrique in Milan on September 18th it will see James travel to his home town in London for an Alexandra Palace show on September 28th, before wrapping up in Los Angeles on October 20th. See below for full list of dates.
Tickets are available to purchase now at www.jamesblakemusic.com
PLAYING ROBOTS INTO HEAVEN TRACKLISTING
- Asking To Break
- Loading
- Tell Me
- Fall Back
- He’s Been Wonderful
- Big Hammer
- I Want You To Know
- Night Sky
- Fire The Editor
- If You Can Hear Me
- Playing Robots Into Heaven
JAMES BLAKE 2023 TOUR DATES
Sep-18
Milan, Italy
Fabrique
Sep-20
Paris, France
L’Olympia
Sep-21
Brussels, Belgium
Forest National Club
Sep-22
Paris, France
L’Olympia
SOLD OUT
Sep-24
Berlin, Germany
UFO im Velodrom
Sep-26
Tilburg, Netherlands
013
Sep-28
London, UK
Alexandra Palace
Oct-03
Atlanta, GA
Coca Cola Roxy
Oct-05
Queens, NY
Knockdown Center
SOLD OUT
Oct-06
Queens, NY
Knockdown Center
Oct-09
Boston, MA
MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Oct-10
Montreal, QC, Canada
L’Olympia
Oct-12
Toronto, ON, Canada
Rebel
Oct-14
Chicago, IL
Aragon Ballroom
Oct-16
San Francisco, CA
The Masonic Theater
Oct-19
Los Angeles, CA
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
SOLD OUT
Oct-20
Los Angeles, CA
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
ABOUT JAMES BLAKE
The 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, Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. and Dave’s We’re All Alone In This Together, 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, James 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 #21 on the Billboard Top 200, 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. Since then, Blake has treated fans to Instagram live performances, new music sneak peaks and two critically acclaimed EPs; Before and Covers. The artist entertained fans through COVID-19, while live music was put on hold.
James released his fifth studio album Friends That Break Your Heart in October 2021, debuting at #4 on the UK charts and receiving mass critical acclaim. He has recently collaborated with Metro Boomin for the Spider-Verse soundtrack on tracks “Hummingbird” and “Nonviolent Communication” ft. A$AP Rocky & 21 Savage.
As he prepares for the release of his sixth album, James Blake’s shadow over popular music only continues to grow.