# Tastes Like Summer
**Tastes Like Summer** is a 2026 pop single by the British singer-songwriter [James Blunt](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-blunt), released on 14 August 2026 through Atlantic Records UK as his first new music since the 2023 album *Who We Used To Be*[1](https://www.warnermusic.ie/news/2026/james-blunt-new-single-tastes-like-summer-out-now/). Written by Blunt with the production duo Red Triangle and recorded with his live band, the track is a warm, romantic summer song whose official music video takes a horror-film twist on its central lyric, "your skin tastes like summer"[1](https://www.warnermusic.ie/news/2026/james-blunt-new-single-tastes-like-summer-out-now/) • [2](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/james-blunt-tastes-like-summer-video-shock-1815068). It became the first single from Blunt's album *Airplane Mode*, released on 6 November 2026[3](https://warnermusic-ie-4.nds.acquia-psi.com/news/2026/james-blunt-new-album-airplane-mode-out-6th-november-tour-march-april-2027/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist | James Blunt, British singer-songwriter[1](https://www.warnermusic.ie/news/2026/james-blunt-new-single-tastes-like-summer-out-now/) |
| Release | 14 August 2026, Atlantic Records UK, digital single[4](https://musicbrainz.org/release/97dea5e2-092a-4da5-87ce-9f5405035ff8) |
| Length | 3 minutes 39 seconds, one track[5](https://open.spotify.com/album/0T7lhonUTlZ7zbzKVIPdvJ) |
| Writers and producer | Written by James Blunt, George Tizzard, and Richard Parkhouse; produced by Red Triangle (Parkhouse and Tizzard)[1](https://www.warnermusic.ie/news/2026/james-blunt-new-single-tastes-like-summer-out-now/) |
| Album placement | First single from *Airplane Mode* (6 November 2026), track 4 of 12[3](https://warnermusic-ie-4.nds.acquia-psi.com/news/2026/james-blunt-new-album-airplane-mode-out-6th-november-tour-march-april-2027/) |
| Music video | Directed by Jack Howard, shot in Ibiza, styled after A24 horror films[1](https://www.warnermusic.ie/news/2026/james-blunt-new-single-tastes-like-summer-out-now/) |
| UK chart peak | Number 11 on the Official Singles Sales Chart; 8 weeks on the chart by 9 October 2026[6](https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-sales-chart/20261009/7509/) |
## Release and background
The single arrived on 14 August 2026, closing a three-year gap since Blunt's 2023 album *Who We Used To Be*[1](https://www.warnermusic.ie/news/2026/james-blunt-new-single-tastes-like-summer-out-now/). Its first radio play came on [BBC Radio 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-radio-2)'s *The Sara Cox Breakfast Show*[7](https://pmstudio.com/music/20260815-28821). Warner Music's announcement described the song as "a warm, fresh soundtrack to this wonderful summer" recorded with Blunt's live band, and quoted the singer's own framing: "'Taste Like Summer' binds the joy of summer to the joy of being attracted to someone"[1](https://www.warnermusic.ie/news/2026/james-blunt-new-single-tastes-like-summer-out-now/).
The release followed a period of anniversary activity: in 2024 Blunt marked the 20th anniversary of his debut *Back to Bedlam*, one of the best-selling albums of the 2000s, and toured UK arenas in February of the following year[1](https://www.warnermusic.ie/news/2026/james-blunt-new-single-tastes-like-summer-out-now/).
## Recording and personnel
The song was written by Blunt with Red Triangle, the duo of Richard Parkhouse and George Tizzard, who had previously worked with Bastille, Sabrina Carpenter, Yungblud, and [David Guetta](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-guetta)[1](https://www.warnermusic.ie/news/2026/james-blunt-new-single-tastes-like-summer-out-now/). Recording took place in the UK at Pig Music Studios in Banbury and The Beach in Dorset[1](https://www.warnermusic.ie/news/2026/james-blunt-new-single-tastes-like-summer-out-now/).
The credited personnel reflect the live-band approach[8](https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/tastes-like-summer-james-blunt/n9air817jvcjz):
- James Blunt, lead vocals and writer
- Chris Pemberton, piano
- George Tizzard, acoustic guitar, percussion, backing vocals, writer
- Richard Parkhouse, bass, programmer, synthesizer, writer
- John Garrison, bass; Karl Brazil, drums; Mark Brown, saxophone; Paul Sayer, electric guitar
- Jay Reynolds, mixer; Sam Miller, engineer; Red Triangle, producer
## Music video
The official video was directed by Jack Howard and shot in Ibiza over a two-day shoot with a two-person crew, with drone photography by Ciaran O'Brien[1](https://www.warnermusic.ie/news/2026/james-blunt-new-single-tastes-like-summer-out-now/) • [7](https://pmstudio.com/music/20260815-28821). It is styled as an A24 horror-film homage: what begins as footage matching the song's romantic mood turns sinister as Blunt is shown with a hooded, restrained captive, takes him to an island, and the video ends with Blunt eating him, presented as the main course[1](https://www.warnermusic.ie/news/2026/james-blunt-new-single-tastes-like-summer-out-now/) • [2](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/james-blunt-tastes-like-summer-video-shock-1815068).
Blunt tied the twist directly to the lyric: "The lyrics read 'your skin tastes like summer', and you know what…? He really did"[1](https://www.warnermusic.ie/news/2026/james-blunt-new-single-tastes-like-summer-out-now/). Howard described the shoot as deliberately silly and low-budget in spirit, saying "I don't think anyone else would let me make something this silly and weird apart from Mr. Blunt"[7](https://pmstudio.com/music/20260815-28821). The video drew shocked reactions online, with some viewers calling it "truly sickening" and questioning how far the joke was meant to go[2](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/james-blunt-tastes-like-summer-video-shock-1815068).
## Chart performance
On the UK Official Singles Sales Chart, "Tastes Like Summer" peaked at number 11 and had logged 8 weeks by the chart dated 9 October 2026, when it sat at number 77[6](https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-sales-chart/20261009/7509/). It also appeared on the Official Singles Downloads Chart[9](https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-downloads-chart/20261009/7000/) and reached number 40 on the UK radio airplay Top 100 in week 40 of 2026[10](https://radiochart.eu/charts/uk?week=2026-W40). A radio release date of 21 August 2026 was listed for the track[11](https://earone.com/song/fe2d0fbb98/tastes-like-summer-james-blunt?locale=en).
## Place in Airplane Mode
On 4 September 2026 Blunt announced that *Airplane Mode* would follow on 6 November 2026 on [Atlantic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-records), with "Tastes Like Summer" as its breezy first single and "Weight Of It All" released the same day as the second track[3](https://warnermusic-ie-4.nds.acquia-psi.com/news/2026/james-blunt-new-album-airplane-mode-out-6th-november-tour-march-april-2027/). The album's 12-track listing places "Tastes Like Summer" fourth, between "Modern Love" and "Weight Of It All"[3](https://warnermusic-ie-4.nds.acquia-psi.com/news/2026/james-blunt-new-album-airplane-mode-out-6th-november-tour-march-april-2027/). The announcement also confirmed a European arena tour for February to April 2027, opening in Esch-sur-Alzette and closing in Brighton[3](https://warnermusic-ie-4.nds.acquia-psi.com/news/2026/james-blunt-new-album-airplane-mode-out-6th-november-tour-march-april-2027/).
## Other songs of the same title
The title has been used independently by other artists. The electronic duo GT_Ofice and singer Linney released "Tastes Like Summer" on 28 May 2021 through CAINE Records, a 122 BPM dance track whose chorus repeats "You taste like summer"[12](https://www.shazam.com/track/569057197/tastes-like-summer). The indie project SODAPOP released a song of the same name in March 2023 on the EP *Retrogaze: Chapter 3*, blending what the artist called "dreamy bedroom pop and upbeat happy funk" and alluding to the film *[500 Days of Summer](https://www.edgepedia.org/500-days-of-summer)*[13](https://www.obscuresound.com/2023/03/sodapop-tastes-like-summer/).
## References
1. [JAMES BLUNT NEW SINGLE 'TASTES LIKE SUMMER' – OUT NOW, Warner Music Ireland](https://www.warnermusic.ie/news/2026/james-blunt-new-single-tastes-like-summer-out-now/)
2. [James Blunt Branded 'Sickening' Over Music Video Showing Him Kidnapping a Man Before Making Him His Main Course, IBTimes UK](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/james-blunt-tastes-like-summer-video-shock-1815068)
3. [JAMES BLUNT NEW ALBUM AIRPLANE MODE OUT 6TH NOVEMBER / TOUR MARCH-APRIL 2027, Warner Music Ireland](https://warnermusic-ie-4.nds.acquia-psi.com/news/2026/james-blunt-new-album-airplane-mode-out-6th-november-tour-march-april-2027/)
4. [Release "Tastes Like Summer" by James Blunt, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/release/97dea5e2-092a-4da5-87ce-9f5405035ff8)
5. [Tastes Like Summer - Single by James Blunt, Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/album/0T7lhonUTlZ7zbzKVIPdvJ)
6. [Official Singles Sales Chart on 9/10/2026, Official Charts](https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-sales-chart/20261009/7509/)
7. [James Blunt Returns With New Song "Tastes Like Summer", pm studio](https://pmstudio.com/music/20260815-28821)
8. [Tastes Like Summer, James Blunt, Qobuz](https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/tastes-like-summer-james-blunt/n9air817jvcjz)
9. [Official Singles Downloads Chart on 9/10/2026, Official Charts](https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-downloads-chart/20261009/7000/)
10. [UK Top 100, Radiochart.eu, week 2026-W40](https://radiochart.eu/charts/uk?week=2026-W40)
11. [Tastes Like Summer - James Blunt, Song Card, EarOne](https://earone.com/song/fe2d0fbb98/tastes-like-summer-james-blunt?locale=en)
12. [Tastes Like Summer - GT_Ofice & Linney, Shazam](https://www.shazam.com/track/569057197/tastes-like-summer)
13. [Listen: SODAPOP - "Tastes Like Summer", Obscure Sound](https://www.obscuresound.com/2023/03/sodapop-tastes-like-summer/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › Pop songs › Pop songs of the 2020s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license