[ALBUM REVIEW] Skins In Decay; Flume Shows Off Darker Side With Companion Album
Sydney based future bass mainstay, Harley Streten, a.k.a Flume (arguably, namesake) has been steadily dropping gem after gem since this past summer; it’s a stark contrast in comparison to the four year gap he took in between his self titled Debut and Skins. Fresh off the heels of his first Grammy win for Best Dance/Electronic album of 2016, on Friday he released yet another EP, a four track companion to previously mentioned award winning album.
Flume at SnowGlobe 16′, Photo by Lexy Galvis
The companion format is exciting because it allows the artist to build off of a previously existing body of work. Skins, a deserving recipient of the golden Grammy, was clearly acclaimed enough by some to be considered perfect as is. With the savvy utilization of the companion format, Harley is allowed to build off the themes of Skins, but is granted the freedom to play around with new sounds and themes without affecting the integrity of the original work.
Enter Skins Companion II – a wild, diverse four track exploration of young Stretens’ monumental talent – kicking off with a dark, industrial trap riff on Pusha T‘s philippic verse in “Enough”. There’s an absolutely maniacal build up to Moses Sumney‘s pensive and yearning croons accompanied by haunting piano on “Weekend”. It’s become abundantly clear that Flume is adept in the arena of collaboration. Also noteworthy is “Fantastic”, an off-kilter, smoked out marriage of Flume at his most subdued and Dave, of Glass Animals‘, drawling vocals.
If the flowers in full bloom in Skins’ original artwork mirrors the pop sensibility and lushness of the original work, then the gnarled and thorny branch on Skins Companion II is most certainly indicative of the darkness within. The discord is apparent in the composure of the EP. Skins Companion II is indeed Skins’ decay- and it’s delightful.
Check it out:
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