James Blake to Release ‘Trying Times,’ His First Album as a Fully Independent Artist, in March

1 week ago 16

British singer-songwriter James Blake has announced that his seventh solo album and his first as a fully independent artist, “Trying Times,” will be released on Friday March 13 via Good Boy Records.

The album is Blake’s first since he took the helm of his business affairs, including booking his own tours and attempting to find as equitable a way as possible to release music — a situation that is reflected in the new album’s cover, which shows Blake spinning multiple plates.

He spoke with Variety at length about it all a few months ago. “Before last year, I was an artist who very much buried my head in the sand in terms of business,” he said. “And when I really looked into the machinations of what was going on behind each part of the industry, getting all the statements, I saw that there are unethical parts of the model that are responsible for a massive transfer of wealth away from the artist.

“It’s not that there’s no money there,” he stressed. “It’s just being diverted to the wrong places, and the system is set up to not give you that information.”

The album is preceded by the single and live video for “Death of Love,” which was directed by creative duo Harrison & Adair and shot with the London Welsh Men’s Choir.

Over the years Blake has collaborated with Beyoncé, Frank Ocean, SZA, Rosalia, Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott and many others. Most recently, heBlake collaborated with British rapper Dave on his album “The Boy Who Played The Harp,” and with Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson on “Séance,” from the soundtrack from Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” — which today became the most-nominated film in Academy Awards history.

The album tracklist appears below:

Walk Out Music

Death Of Love

I Had A Dream She Took My Hand

Trying Times

Make Something Up

Didn’t Come To Argue (ft. Monica Martin)

Days Go By

Doesn’t Just Happen (ft. Dave)

Obsession

Rest Of Your Life

Through The High Wire