Three-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated and BRIT Award-winning multi-platinum singer, songwriter, and guitarist James Bay excitedly presents his anxiously awaited fourth full-length album, Changes All The Time, via Mercury Records.
These eleven tracks embody the apex of Bay’s output as not only a generational songwriter, but also as a deft and dynamic guitarist with a distinct voice of his own. The lead single and album opener Up All Night” with The Lumineers and Noah Kahan arrived to critical acclaim upon its release, quickly becoming a fan favorite. The single has amassed over 30 million global streams. GRAMMY.com declared it ““the folk-pop collaboration that dreams are made of,” while HOLLER. raved, “‘Up All Night’ perfectly encapsulates the shared ability of James Bay, Noah Kahan and The Lumineers to wrap raw, vulnerable emotionality in an infectious, jubilant melody.” NME echoed this excitement, “The single comes as a huge anthem, and sees the trio powering through their personal woes to ensure that they make the most of life.” Guitar.com professed, “Up All Night arrives as a triumphant, foot-stomping tune – with a soaring guitar solo, to boot – sure to get any crowd going when Bay heads out on tour.”
‘Changes All The Time’ spotlights Bay’s elevated songcraft and dynamic vocals as well as his fret-burning guitar playing, highlighting his evolution from every angle. This time around, he crafted these eleven tracks under the watch of producer Gabe Simon [Noah Kahan, Koe Wetzel, Maren Morris] alongside co-writers such as Brandon Flowers of The Killers, Holly Humberstone, Dan Wilson of Semisonic, Natalie Hemby of The Highwomen, and Kevin Garrett.
“Changes All The Time is my fourth album, it’s such a privilege to have made it to number four. It’s a collection of songs I wrote and recorded to help me take on the necessary but sometimes overwhelming truth that change is always coming. For me, writing songs is still such a powerful therapy and medicine for anxieties, excitements and big emotions of all kinds. I’m so excited to share this next round of mine.”
Among many standouts on the album, Hope brims with optimism against all odds. Delicate acoustic guitar, strains of piano, and steady handclaps underline a central mantra to “Have a little hope.” His delivery alternates between soulful and soaring, inspiring at every turn. Watch the newly released lyric video for Hope, to get a feel of the song.
Last month, Bay released Easy Distraction, which he co-wrote with Brandon Flowers of The Killers. NME quickly hailed the track as a “guitar anthem.” On Everburn Bay pairs a starkly soulful vocal with softly strummed chords as he muses, “You and me will everburn.” He practically holds on to the notes of the expertly-plucked lead for dear life, infusing his six-string phrasing with palpable emotion. On Speed Limit, bluesy licks respond to his smoky delivery as he confesses, “I broke the speed limit to get to you.” Elsewhere, his palm-muted riffing brushes against the simmering beat of Go On. Then, there’s Dogfight. His loose and fluid fretwork accents incendiary lyrics such as, “Set me on fire, I was your blaze of glory, I was your favorite story, now burning out.” It climaxes with a cathartic wail of guitar and Bay’s howl right from the heart. Ending on a powerful note, the last gasp of feedback dissolves into one more exhale.
Ahead of the release, Bay returned to Late Night With Seth Meyerson the tenth anniversary of his late-night television debut for the first performance of Up all Night.
Speaking of full circle moments, Noah Kahan graciously welcomed Bay as a special guest during his sold out shows at Madison Square Garden and FenwayPark. James also joined Noah on-stage for their first night at MSG to perform Stick Season - which thrilled fans and media alike.
Bay’s definitive breakthrough smash Let It Go first landed a decade ago in 2014. It cracked the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, Top 3 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Chart, and Top 5 on the Year-End Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Chart. Thus far, it has tallied over 3 billion streams, claiming a spot among Spotify’s prestigious “Billions Club.” Not to mention, it achieved 6x-platinum status. Moreover, his total career streams are just shy of 9 billion.
Last year, he opened up for Bruce Springsteen at London’s own BST Hyde Park and joined his friends The Lumineers on tour.
Be on the lookout for a whole lot more from James Bay soon.
Changes All The Time – Tracklist
Up All Night (with The Lumineers & Noah Kahan)
Everburn
Hope
Easy Distraction
Speed Limit
Talk
Hopeless Heart
Some People
Go On
Crystal Clear
Dogfight