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“LOADING” is the title of the new single from “PLAYING ROBOTS INTO HEAVEN”, the new JAMES BLAKE album. The song is the second outtake from Blake’s long-awaited studio album “Playing Robots Into Heaven”, which will be released on September 8th.
Highlighting the intricacies and nuances of James’s signature style, “Loading” represents another leap in artistic quality with its captivating production and catchy chorus.
Blake recently set the stage for “Playing Robots Into Heaven” with the single “Big Hammer” sampled by the Ragga Twins and the official video directed by Oscar Hudson (Radiohead, Bonobo).
“Playing Robots Into Heaven” follows the critically acclaimed “Friends That Break Your Heart”, Blake’s highest-charting album to date in the UK. Hemlock and R&S Records. The album will also feature a tribute to her latest musical project, a series of CMYK events with Rhonda INTL that opened in Los Angeles last March, all sold out in minutes and featuring special guests, among others, Steve Lacy, Channel Tres and HAii.
To celebrate the release of Playing Robots Into Heaven, James will embark on an international tour with performances in the UK, Europe and North America. The tour will start at the Fabrique in Milan on September 18 on one Italian day.
The Grammy-winning British singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer is the enigmatic engine behind some of the most influential albums of the 21st century.
He produced tracks on Frank Ocean’s “Blonde” album “DAMN”. Kendrick Lamar and Dave’s “We’re All Alone In This Together”, as well as JAY-Z’s “4:44” and Beyoncé’s “Lemonade”, on both occasions he also provided his voice. His guest appearances include “Stop Trying to Be God” with Stevie Wonder and Kid Cudi in Travis Scott’s epic ASTROWORLD and “King’s Dead” with Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar and Future in Black Panther: The Album. The latter not only went triple platinum, but earned Blake his first Grammy in the Best Rap Performance category.
At the same time, James became known as pop music’s most celebrated underdog through his fast-paced solo performances. Pitchfork gave the record a rare score of 9.0/10 and named it one of the “100 Greatest Albums of the Decade (2010–2014)”. In 2013, Overgrown highlighted their rare attraction to bringing the likes of Brian Eno and RZA together in one project. The disc won the 2013 Mercury Prize and earned Blake a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. After 2016’s “Color in Everything” in 2019, he achieved new results, both critical and commercial, with “Assume Form”. It peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Top 200, his highest achievement to date. In addition to recording 300 million cumulative streams in less than a year, it received a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Alternative Album category and featured on the Best of 2019 lists of magazines such as Time Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Stereogum, Consequence of Sound. , Billboard, DJ Booth and Esquire. Since then, Blake has gifted fans with Instagram live performances, sneak peaks of new music, and two critically acclaimed EPs: “Before” and “Covers.” The artist entertained fans during the COVID-19 pandemic when live music stopped.
James released his fifth album, Friends That Break Your Heart, in October 2021, debuting at No. 4 in the UK charts and receiving critical acclaim. He recently collaborated with Metro Boomin on the soundtrack of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse with the songs “Hummingbird” and “Non-Violent Communication” with A$AP Rocky and 21 Savage.
As he prepares to release his sixth album, James Blake’s shadow on popular music continues to grow.