Fresh off the release of “My Guy” and “Oh Mother,” Sam Smith is continuing the journey toward their upcoming album Hazel Eyes with another deeply personal track. The Grammy, BRIT, Golden Globe, and Oscar-winning artist has released “When He’s Gone,” an emotional ballad that explores the quiet devastation of loving someone whose absence changes everything. The new album arrives August 21.
Built around warm acoustic instrumentation, “When He’s Gone” begins with an intimate, soulful simplicity before gradually building into something much bigger. Ghostly harmonies, cinematic textures, and a powerful vocal performance give the song an emotional weight that mirrors its central theme—the fear of losing someone who has become your entire world. Smith describes the single as one of the album’s more melancholic moments.
“Hazel Eyes explores every shade of a relationship, and ‘When He’s Gone’ is one of its melancholy shades,” they explain. “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.”
That live recording approach reflects the direction of Hazel Eyes as a whole. Co-produced by David Odlum and Simon Aldred, the album favors live instrumentation and organic performances over polished perfection, giving Smith’s unmistakable voice room to take center stage.
The new release follows “Oh Mother,” a stirring collaboration with The TwoCity Chorus, and the romantic “My Guy,” both of which introduced different emotional sides of the record. Together, the singles suggest that Hazel Eyes isn’t focused on one version of love, but rather its many complexities—from joy and comfort to vulnerability, heartbreak, and healing.
Critics have already taken notice. The New York Times, which recently featured Smith on its Arts & Leisure cover, praised the album’s “more handcrafted sound,” noting that the singer has found “a new clarity and confidence.” That sentiment carries through “When He’s Gone,” where understated production allows every lyric and vocal nuance to land with striking honesty.
Three years in the making, Hazel Eyes marks Smith’s fifth studio album and follows 2023’s Gloria, which included the global hit “Unholy” featuring Kim Petras. Recorded in legendary studios including Electric Lady Studios in New York, the project also features collaborations with artists and musicians including Feist, Shahzad Ismaily, and acclaimed string arranger Rob Moose.
To celebrate the release, Smith will continue their intimate To Be Free residency series with performances across Mexico before heading to the UK for dates in Manchester and an eight-night residency at London’s Coliseum this September.
With “When He’s Gone,” Sam Smith once again proves that some of the most powerful songs don’t need grand gestures. Instead, they find their strength in vulnerability, allowing heartbreak, longing, and hope to unfold with remarkable honesty.
Photo credit: Collier Schorr
