ALBUM OF THE WEEK

FRIENDS THAT BREAK YOUR HEART James Blake ★★★★I

Friends That Break Your

Heart, Blake’s fifth album, was inspired by the realisation that the dynamics of crumbling friendships have not been written about as much as their romantic counterparts.

It was also inspired, at least in part, by the way certain friends melted away during the pandemic, while others became invaluable supports. By his own standards, it is a rather uplifting work.

Foot Forward is a futuristic R&B jam with one of Blake’s most compelling choruses in years. Assume Form described the happiness Blake found with his actress/presenter girlfriend Jameela Jamil in Los Angeles and functioned as a full stop to the first stage of his career. Friends That Break Your Heart marks the start of something new.