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Three days ago James Blake published a website at tryingtimes.info<\/a>. Users who entered the password TryingTimes (Blake is apparently not much for cybersecurity) were directed to a page with the following message from Blake announcing a new album:<\/p>\n Hi everyone. As a thank you for your support on here, I wanted to share some news with you first. I\u2019ve finished my next record and will be releasing it soon. I\u2019m going to share a song with you and also offer a special first press vinyl edition of the album. The listen & purchase link will be live for 72 hours.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t wait for you the hear the new record, it\u2019s incredibly special.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Along with the message were pre-save and pre-order links for the new LP and a stream of a new Blake song featuring a rapper who sure sounded a lot like Dave. Those who’ve heard Dave’s The Boy Who Played The Harp<\/a><\/em> probably have some idea how it sounded, given that Blake produced four songs on that album and sang on two of them. But yeah: It was a dark, elegant, quietly booming production that works well as a canvas for Dave’s rugged poetics. It almost came off more like a Dave song with a James Blake hook than a new James Black track.<\/p>\n Today, the 72-hour countdown is over, and we can officially report that Blake’s new album Trying Times<\/em> will be out March 13. There’s a Dave collab on there called “Doesn\u2019t Just Happen,” which is probably the mysterious collab in question. Meanwhile, a different James Blake song is out there in the world, this one without an emcee. “Death Of Love” has been kicking around for years; Blake performed it live<\/a> several times in 2022. It’s a ghostly slow-creep that sounds very much like Blake in his bag, full of booming bass, florid synths, and that unmistakable voice. It’s the most excited I’ve been about a new James Blake song in a minute.<\/p>\n Below, check out the studio recording of “Death Of Live” and a live performance video by Harrison Adair, featuring the London Welsh Men’s Choir.<\/p>\n\n