Sam Smith Releases New Single, ‘When He’s Gone’
The acoustic track previews the 12-song album ‘Hazel Eyes,’ due August 21.
Grammy, BRIT, Golden Globe and Oscar winner Sam Smith has released “When He’s Gone,” the third single from their fifth studio album, Hazel Eyes. The 12-song record is due August 21 through Capitol Records.
Smith said the song represents the album’s more melancholy view of partnership. “This album explores every shade of a relationship and ‘When He’s Gone’ is more of a melancholy shade,” they said. Smith recorded the performance live without a click track, then built the remaining arrangement around that take. According to the singer, the approach was intended to retain the sense of “a storm rumbling in the distance.” The finished recording moves from a restrained opening toward a larger final section, with the chorus returning to the line, “My whole world’s broken when he’s gone.”
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The release follows Smith’s appearance on the cover of The New York Times’ Arts & Leisure section on August 2. The accompanying interview examined the personal relationships and creative decisions behind Hazel Eyes, which was recorded over three years. Smith worked at Electric Lady Studios in New York City and co-produced the album with David Odlum and Simon Aldred. The sessions also involved multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily and string arranger Rob Moose. Across the record, Smith combines live instrumentation with stories about different stages of a relationship, from domestic closeness to conflict and loss.
In July 2026, Smith released “Oh Mother,” a call-and-response recording featuring the 28-member TwoCity Chorus. The Hazel Eyes campaign began with “My Guy,” whose video focused on domestic life and whose backing vocals featured Feist and Moses Sumney. The new record also features the piano ballad “Love Is a Stillness.” Late last year, Smith held a residency at Warsaw in Brooklyn in fall 2025, with guest appearances from Hozier, Ed Sheeran, Brandi Carlile, SIENNA SPIRO and Kim Petras.
