Trying Times is James Blake's seventh studio album, and his most personally and politically charged to date. Written between London and Los Angeles, it marks his first fully independent release, a deliberate step away from major label infrastructure and toward complete artistic ownership. The album confronts the turbulence of recent years head-on: global unrest, fractured public discourse, and the kind of private reckoning that only surfaces when the world won't slow down. Through it all, Blake searches for empathy, connection, and love in the middle of chaos, and finds a way to make that search sound beautiful.
Presented here on 2LP gatefold vinyl, the format suits the album's weight. Blake has spent over a decade reshaping what electronic music, soul, and singer-songwriter craft can sound like together. Trying Times is the fullest expression of that evolution. Intimate but expansive, sparse but emotionally dense.
Why This Pressing Belongs in a Collection James Blake is one of the defining artists of his generation: Mercury Prize winner, Grammy-nominated collaborator, and a singular voice in contemporary music. His first independent release is a milestone in his catalog and a snapshot of an era. Preserved copies at this condition level, documented from the source, will not be re-entered into the market.
What Alliance Authentic Preservation Means: Every copy listed was moved directly from the pressing source into preservation: uncirculated, unhandled, and documented before it ever reached the open market. Each preserved copy includes an embedded NFC chip. Tap it with any smartphone to access your Certified Copy: verified authenticity, documented condition, and a full provenance chain from pressing source to you.
Limited to 10 individually numbered copies.
