| [Credit: Robbie Lawrence] |
| “A deep, introspective and disarmingly sincere album” – Mixmag “The lyrics are among the best of Blake’s career” – Evening Standard “Melodies collapsing and rebuilding themselves in his digital laboratory” – The Independent “His seventh studio album [is] a compendium of his best parts” – DIY [Friday 20th March, London] James Blake’s new record ‘Trying Times’ has debuted at #3 on the Official Albums Chart with over 12,000 sales in its first week, cementing his strongest debut to date. The achievement highlights a major milestone for Blake, marking his first independent release – which has also achieved #1 in the Independent Albums Chart. Blake has delivered his strongest opening numbers since his inaugural album ‘James Blake’, as well as securing the highest-charting release of his career. Additionally, the record has doubled week one sales of his fifth studio album ‘Friends That Break Your Heart’. The record also earned #1 on Physical Albums, Vinyl Albums, CD Albums, and Scottish Albums charts. The album garnered instant critical acclaim by publications such as Evening Standard hailing the lyrics as “the best of Blake’s career” and Mixmag describing the record as “deep, introspective and disarmingly sincere”, as well as further glowing reviews from The Independent, Pitchfork, DIY, CLASH, The Guardian, among many more. ‘Trying Times’ marks Blake’s first release via Good Boy Records, who he met on indify (a music partnerships platform). Good Boy brought together Virgin Music Group (for distribution and global strategy) and Stellar Music (for digital marketing), with all partners – including Blake – jointly funding the album and sharing in its revenues, forming a modern, collaborative profit-sharing model. You can listen to ‘Trying Times’ HERE. You can watch the ‘Trying Times’ video HERE. A GRAMMY-winning producer, songwriter, and musician, Blake’s singular blend of soul, electronica, hip-hop, and alt-R&B has shaped the sound of modern music. Across six seminal studio albums, Blake’s catalogue has amassed over 2.2 billion streams: his 2019 album ‘Assume Form’, featuring ROSALÍA and Travis Scott, garnered widespread acclaim, followed by his highest chart debut to date with 2021’s ‘Friends That Break Your Heart’. His transcendent vocals and visionary production have cemented him as one of contemporary music’s most influential figures, and a sought-after collaborator for Beyoncé, Frank Ocean, SZA, ROSALÍA, Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott and more, contributing to era-defining albums like ‘Blonde’, ‘DAMN.’, ‘ASTROWORLD’, ‘Lemonade’, and ‘Motomami’. Most recently, Blake collaborated with revered UK rapper Dave on his critically acclaimed album ‘The Boy Who Played The Harp’, and crafted ‘Séance’ alongside Ludwig Göransson, a standout from the soundtrack from Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’. You can find assets HERE. James Blake Live Dates 2026 Wed 05/27/26 – Atlanta, GA – The Tabernacle Fri 05/29/26 – New York, NY – Brooklyn Paramount Sat 05/30/26 – New York, NY – Brooklyn Paramount Sun 05/31/26 – Boston, MA – RoadrunnerTue 06/02/26 – Washington, DC – The Anthem Thu 06/04/26 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall Sat 06/06/26 – Toronto, ON – HISTORY Mon 06/08/26 – Chicago, IL – The Salt ShedTue 29/09/26 – London, UK – O2 Academy BrixtonMon 05/10/26 – Utrecht, NL – TivoliVredenburgThu 08/10/26 – Brussels, BE – Cirque RoyalMon 12/10/26 – Paris, FR – Le Grand RexThu 15/10/26 – Berlin, DE – Astra KulturhausSun 18/10/26 – Cologne, DE – E-WerkWed 21/10/26 – Glasgow, UK – SWG3 Galvanizers Sun 25/10/26 – Manchester, UK – New CenturyWed 28/10/26 – Bristol, UK – O2 Academy Bristol Thu 06/11/26 – Berkeley, CA – Greek TheatreFri 06/12/26 – Los Angeles, CA – The Greek Theatre ‘Trying Times’ Tracklist 1. Walk Out Music2. Death Of Love3. I Had A Dream She Took My Hand4. Trying Times5. Make Something Up6. Didn’t Come To Argue (ft. Monica Martin)7. Days Go By8. Doesn’t Just Happen (ft. Dave)9. Obsession10. Rest Of Your Life11. Through The High Wire12. Feel It Again13. Just A Little Higher   – Credit: Robbie Lawrence]## Website | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube ## |
