Get in the mood for some glitchy babymaking with James Blake's new single "Retrograde"
James Blake—the artist whose darkly ambient, R&B-influenced electronic music necessitated coining the term “post-dubstep” to differentiate it from all the horrible things Skrillex has done to the genre—is back. In anticipation of the new Overgrown, due April 8, Blake debuted the new single “Retrograde” on Zane Lowe’s BBC 1 show today, and you can check out the radio rip now.
Those who have been following Blake since his earlier, glitchier CMYK/Klavierwerke days already know that his self-titled breakthrough in 2011 traded that for a smoother neo-soul sound, so it’s no surprise to find “Retrograde” (a staple of his recent live sets) retaining that direction. And those who felt his Bon Iver-assisted EP Enough Thunder perhaps skewed a little too heavily toward stately, Antony And The Johnsons-esque melancholy will probably be pleased to find that “Retrograde” is more firmly in that slightly warped, icy R&B vein of his last proper album. Put this on a mix with your Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, and Miguel tracks for a night of slightly portentous doin' it.
Blake has also announced a series of tour dates, the full list of which is below. [via Pitchfork]
February 26 – London, England – ICA
April 14 – Indio, CA – Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
April 16 – San Francisco, CA – Mezzanine
April 18 – Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theatre
April 21 – Indio, CA – Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
April 23 – Seattle, WA – Neptune
April 24 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
April 25 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore Ballroom
April 27 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
April 28 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
May 1 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
May 2 – Chicago, IL – Metro
May 3 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre
May 4 – Toronto, Ontario – Danforth Music Hall
May 6 – Montreal, Quebec – Metropolis
May 8 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
May 9 – New York, NY – Terminal 5
May 11 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
May 12 -Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
May 13 – Carrboro, NC – Cat's Cradle
May 14 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
May 24 – Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Sound
May 29 – Madrid, Spain – Sala Capital