James Blake is prepping his sixth proper studio album, Playing Robots Into Heaven. Ahead of its release on September 8th via Republic, the musician has shared its lead single “Big Hammer,” as well as a run of 2023 tour dates.
After trying his hand at ambient music last year, Playing Robots Into Heaven (pre-order here) is billed as Blake’s return to form, getting back into the sort of electronic music he introduced himself with on early EPs like The Bells Sketch and CMYK. The uptempo “Big Hammer” is indicative of that, although with the confidence of having been in the game for over a decade now. It begins with a simple, ominous beat that swells into a trap-inspired banger, and arrives with a heist-themed music video directed by Oscar Hudson.
Blake’s international tour begins at the Fabrique in Milan on September 18th. It includes a hometown show in London at Alexandra Palace on September 28th, before wrapping up in Los Angeles on October 20th. Tickets are available via StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program.
Listen to “Big Hammer” below, and then keep scrolling to see the album art and tracklist for Playing Robots Into Heaven as well as Blake’s 2023 tour schedule.
Blake’s last studio album was 2021’s Friends That Break Your Heart.
Playing Robots Into Heaven Artwork:
Playing Robots Into Heaven Tracklist:
01. Asking to Break
02. Loading
03. Tell Me
04. Fall Back
05. He’s Been Wonderful
06. Big Hammer
07. I Want You to Know
08. Night Sky
09. Fire the Editor
10. If You Can Hear Me
11. Playing Robots Into Heaven
James Blake 2023 Tour Dates:
09/18 – Milan, IT @ Fabrique
09/20 – Paris, FR @ L’Olympia
09/21 – Brussels, BE @ Forest National Club
09/22 – Paris, FR @ L’Olympia
09/24 – Berlin, DE @ UFO im Velodrom
09/26 – Tilburg, NL @ 013
09/28 – London, UK @ Alexandra Palace
10/03 – Atlanta, GA @ Coca Cola Roxy
10/05 – Queens, NY @ Knockdown Center
10/06 – Queens, NY @ Knockdown Center
10/09 – Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway
10/10 – Montreal, QC @ L’Olympia
10/12 – Toronto, ON @ Rebel
10/14 – Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
10/16 – San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic Theater
10/19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
10/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery