James Blake has released “Famous Last Words,” another single from his forthcoming album Friends That Break Your Heart.
The single, which premiered today (September 13) on Apple Music 1’s The Zane Lowe Show, follows July’s “Say What You Will” and last month’s “Life Is Not The Same.”
The songwriter and producer’s fifth album is set to be released on October 8 via Polydor. It was pushed back recently from its original September 10 release due to vinyl pressing delays amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Blake recently spoke about the new album and its singles. “The song [‘Say What You Will’] is about finding peace with who you are and where you’re at regardless of how well other people seem to be doing,” Blake said of “Say What You Will”. “Comparison really is the thief of joy.”
Blake’s new song has been co-produced and co-written by the duo Take A Daytrip, who are known for their work on such songs as Sheck Wes’ “Mo Bamba”, Lil Nas X‘s “Montero (Call Me by Your Name),” and Travis Scott and Kid Cudi‘s “The Scotts”.
Friends That Break Your Heart is set to feature guest appearances from SZA, JID, SwaVay, and Monica Martin.
The album will follow on from Blake’s Covers EP, which featured renditions of tracks by the likes of Frank Ocean, Billie Eilish, and Joy Division.
“One of the things keeping me going mentally throughout lockdown has been the requests from fans for different covers and performing them on Instagram,” Blake said of the EP upon its release in December.
“It’s been a joy to discover new music and new ways of playing songs I’ve already heard.”
Blake’s tour in support of his new album will kick off on September 16 and 17 with a pair of gigs at San Diego’s The Observatory, with the month-long, U.S.-spanning trek concluding October 16 and 17 with two nights at Atlanta’s Tabernacle.
