Sam Smith Releases Single “When He’s Gone”

Sam Smith has released “When He’s Gone,” the third single from their upcoming fifth album, Hazel Eyes. Listen to the bluesy lament below.

The track opens with finger-picked guitar as Smith croons over a long-lost lover. As the song progresses, the guitar swells and invites the rest of a band to join in, including booming drums and a chorus of voices to bolster Smith’s signature tenor. “When he’s walking out on me, he takes everything I need,” the artist sings. “My whole world’s broken when he’s gone.”

“This album explores every shade of a relationship and ‘When He’s Gone’ is more of a melancholy shade,” Smith said in a statement. “We captured it live without a click track, and built everything around that original recording to preserve the feeling of a storm rumbling in the distance.”

“When He’s Gone” follows previous singles “My Guy” and “Oh Mother,” the latter of which featured the TwoCity Chorus. The three songs will appear on Hazel Eyes, which arrives on Aug. 21. Their last record, Gloria, was released in 2023 and included the Grammy Award-winning “Unholy,” which marked the first time an openly trans artist (the song’s featured artist, Kim Petras) won a Grammy. In 2024, Smith celebrated the 10th anniversary of their debut album, In the Lonely Hour, with a special reissue, and contributed covers of Sylvester and Beverly Glenn-Copeland songs to Red Hot Organization’s compilation TRA​И​Ƨ​A.

Hazel Eyes was co-produced with David Odlum and Simon Aldred. It features collaborations with Feist, Shahzad Ismaily, and Rob Moose. Smith will play a series of mini residencies across Mexico and the United Kingdom through August and September. The final show of the tour is Sept. 19, at London’s Coliseum.