Australian producer Harley Streten, better known as Flume, has released his highly-anticipated sophomore album Skin to the delight of fans worldwide. This follow-up to the 2012 self-titled debut, which exploded with wild success in 2013 and catapulted Streten, then 21, into electronica stardom, finds perfect balance for both underground and mainstream audiences. Skin is a brooding blend of dark and other-worldly sounds and melodies, mixed with just a sprinkling of radio-ready pop hits. Leaning heavily on collaboration with other artists (we’re talking 10 of the 16 tracks here), Flume showcases his keen ability to excel across a variety of genres, from hip-hop to “alien pop.” Listeners are taken on a cosmic journey of fragmented noise, infectious lyrical content, and highly experimental synths.
The opening track, “Helix,” takes its time to suck you in, but then promptly spits you out. Slightly dazed and chewed, you’re then drawn into the introductory chimes of “Never Be Like You,” which features the talented Canadian singer Kai. As the first official release of the album, this track has already hit #1 in Australia and is, unsurprisingly, climbing the US charts, as well. It’s easy to relate to the desperation in Kai’s voice, as she tells the gut-wrenching story of a lover seeking absolution. Kicking things up a notch, Chicago-based hip-hop artist Vic Mensa provides steady trap lines in “Lose It.” The “electronic whale calls” (as captioned on Flume’s Instagram tease of this song) combined with Mensa’s raw vocals, result in what’s sure to be summer banger.
Fellow Aussie producer KUČKA was tapped in to support both “Numb & Getting Colder” and “Smoke & Retribution.” For the former, Flume explained that he “pitched and sped up KUČKA’s vocals to make her sound like an alien babe.” A far out track, indeed. For the latter, California-based rapper Vince Staples stepped in to deliver hard-hitting lyrics which nicely counterbalance KUČKA’s feminine choruses. Rounding out the support on the first half of the album is Tove Lo, who beautifully leads vocals on “Say It.” The back-story on this song is great – Flume heard a Tove Lo song playing in an LA bar and Shazam-ed it. A few days later they were in the studio together creating this sexy track.
Next up is the extremely experimental and distorted “Wall Fuck.” Flume’s intentions were to “create sounds that sound like the fabric of the universe tearing.” Mission accomplished, sir! The track-skipping choppiness mixed with heavy future basslines is straight madness. This song may not be for everyone, especially at first listen, but it’s guaranteed to grow on you if you’re open-minded to this level of innovation. For a more classic Flume feel, “3” hits the mark, with Streten himself on the vocals.
Continuing strong with ethereal female vocalists, Little Dragon’s collaboration on “Take A Chance” is highly enjoyable, with a heavy drop at the halfway mark. The angelic “Innocence” features AlunaGeorge and what sounds like tumultuous, grinding clockwork gears. Completely hypnotizing! “Like Water” with MNDR carries on in the same sensory fashion, lifting the listener to new heights.
Arguably saving the best for last, “Free” and “Tiny Cities” beautifully complete the album. “Free” is a masterpiece. This song literally and audibly represents the moment Flume broke free of the crippling writer’s block he admittedly suffered from during this album’s creation. You can hear the struggle, the uphill trudging battle, followed by the sweet bliss that comes from release. “Tiny Cities” combines the decades-strong songwriting abilities of Beck, with futuristic, time-warpy drops that result in a real eargasm. This song’s destined to be a massive hit!
The cover art and coinciding digital releases of the tracks feature the poisonous, yet striking Foxglove flower, spiraling in all its helix glory. This captivating artwork by Jonathan Zawada is no doubt a symbolic representation of the album as a whole, starting with the appropriately titled intro track “Helix.” Like the Foxglove, “Skin” is as beautiful as it is dangerous. At the end of the sensory journey, you’re left wondering what planets you’ve just visited and how the hell you waited three years to get there.
On July 19, Flume embarks on his largest world tour, hitting more than 50 cities across the globe. With strong tour support from Chet Faker, Vince Staples, Cashmere Cat, Tokimonsta, Ryan Hemsworth, AlunaGeorge, and many more, you won’t want to miss this innovator in action. Check out the tour dates here.