James Blake’s Asking to Break: An Atmospheric Throwback

James Blake has been busy. Thus far in 2023 he has been part of the hottest track on the Spider – Man Across the Spider – Verse soundtrack, Hummingbird, and now his latest record Playing Robots Into Heaven has dropped. In a lot of ways, his opening track Asking to Break is a throwback to his atmospheric, warm and vocally dazzling tracks from early in his career.

Blake’s previous record Friends that Break Your Heart in 2021 was written in response to COVID and featured sharper tracks with a darker tone. Asking to Break stands in contrast to this with an electronic warmth and flowing vibe reminiscent of his 2013 record Overgrown. The track’s opening high pitched, ultra post produced looped vocals soon give way to a thick static fuzz and deep bass. There are some classic Jame’s Blake electronic beeps and buzzes, but these are balanced nicely with piano as the static turns into a falling rain. For me, the keyboard and bass really brings me back to early James Blake, which I love. All and all, I think he reaches a good balance of Apple Mac – esque electronic fill with more organic instruments. Moreover, that fuzzy static in the background flows in and out of the track, which gives it this warm ethereal quality.

So, musically this track is doing a lot, but what about the vocals? James Blake’s telltale vocal beauty and incredible range is what makes him one of the most sought after vocalists in music…so…how is the vocal on this track? It is some of his best work as he moves in and out of a Justin Vernon like deep tone to his crystal clear falcetto. The vocal soundscape becomes more complex as looped vocals fall over each other while Blake’s core vocal jumps in the mix, which creates this vocal web that is an audio adventure. In this sense, I find the track more of an emotional journey and a vibe, as opposed to dissecting lyrical meaning.

This is a return to form for Blake who is popping up on everything from the Spider – Verse, to Beyoncé, to Kendrick Lamar. I’m telling you, the guy is everywhere. His vocal is mesmerising and it is great to have a new record to dive into.

Listen to Asking to Break