Blake says he is “70 per cent done” with his third studio album. 

James Blake has been hard at work on his third LP, revealing to the Miami New Times that the album should be out in “about five months.” Blake also confirmed that he has been working alongside Kanye West, and he hopes to have West feature on the album.

“I have a lot of respect for [Kanye], for what he has been releasing for years,” said Blake. “We haven’t done a great deal of work in the same room yet, but we’ve done a few things, kind of helped each other with our own music. In terms of the actual collaboration for this record, it looks like we should be able to get something done. I know that there’s a specific song I would like him to be on, and if he can do that by the time my record comes out, that would be fantastic.”

Discussing his approach to the album as a whole, Blake said, “I’m working hard and doing my best—I’m aware that people want to hear this record, so I’m not being complacent. I should hope that [the new album] will be a step on, as much as the second one was to the first. I guess I’ve taken a focus on the songwriting again, even more closely, and I’m dabbling in some different production techniques, things I’ve developed.

“A lot of things have changed in my life since the last record, and overall for the better, so I’m in a good place, I think. I’m in a good place to write in general, and I have been for quiet a while.” [via CoS]