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Sam Smith Has Another Deeply Depressing Tearjerker for You, ‘Drowning Shadows’

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Sad Sam Smith is the best Sam Smith. Photo: Splash News/Corbis

Brace yourselves: The Brits are coming for your tears. Just a week after Adele broke hearts worldwide with one “hello,” her vocal twin Sam Smith has a new song to trigger the waterworks. “Drowning Shadows” is an unreleased song from his In the Lonely Hour sessions that, despite being the “saddest song” he’s ever written, didn’t make it onto his debut album. Not because it’s too sad, but because he says the production just wasn’t right at the time. Now that’s he’s putting out a deluxe version of that album, he finally reworked the arrangement and premiered the song on Beats 1 on Monday. Yep, it’s brutal: The violin-and-piano-backed ballad has Smith lamenting the emotional toll “casual love” takes on the soul in his usual angelic falsetto. It’s also a bit of a parting gift for fans from Smith, who says he’s considering taking a break from the public eye to “sit back, take a breath, kiss some more boys,” and write hundreds more crushing tunes to soundtrack your winter. Appreciate it, but next Christmas, we’ll just take a puppy.

Hear Sam Smith’s New Song, ‘Drowning Shadows’