James Blake is back with his fifth full-length album, Friends That Break Your Heart, two years after his fourth album Assure Form, which won him a Grammy award for Best Alternative Album. SZA makes a relaxing appearance on “Coming Back,” one of the album’s 12 tracks. The song depicts the fallout from a lover’s attempt to end a previous relationship. Blake’s voice is filled with regret and humility as he realizes that what he was fleeing from is precisely what he requires. Despite this, SZA portrays the woman in question, using her verse to express her apprehension over a second chance at love.
In contrast to Assure Form, Blake’s latest album has guest appearances from JID, Swavay, and Monica Martin, and is more of a solo effort. Blake revealed the title of his fifth album in an interview with British GQ last month. “It feels pertinent to the present — if I may say so myself,” he said, adding, “because a lot of us had to deal with friendships where we weren’t receiving what we needed out of them.” Perhaps we were progressing, or perhaps people were progressing without us.”
