The four years between Flume's stylish self-titled debut and its follow-up were long enough that Harley Streten racked up imitators almost as quickly as expectations for what he'd do next. With Skin, he sets himself apart from the former and exceeds the latter, uncovering more sides and bringing more focus to his fusion of dance, pop, hip-hop, and R&B. A cadre of well-chosen, equally genre-hopping collaborators helps him do this with surprisingly artful results: Kai's graceful vocals on "Never Be Like You" equal Streten's beats without distracting from them, while Tove Lo brings some of her sexy edge to "Say It" (and both songs underscore that dance/pop hybrids don't have to sink to both genres' lowest common denominators). Skin's hip-hop leanings also feel more organic than they did previously, whether on the meeting of veteran and new talent that is the Allan Kingdom and Raekwon collab "You Know," or Vince Staples' cameo on "Smoke & Retribution," which also features up-and-coming Aussie producer/singer Kučka, who also features on the more abstract "Numb & Getting Colder." The album's brightest highlights bring out the best in Streten and his guests: MNDR takes a convincing turn as a pop diva on "Like Water; and even though he's Auto-Tuned, Beck has rarely sounded as uninhibited as he does on "Tiny Cities." Meanwhile, Little Dragon's Yukimi Nagano elevates "Take a Chance" into one of Flume's finest moments yet, her soulful tones a perfect match for its powerful builds and drops. Though instrumentals like the darkly percussive "Wall Fuck" and the fizzy, pixelated "Pika" showcase Streten's range as a producer, the vocal tracks are so compelling that his solo turns sometimes feel like afterthoughts that bloat the album. While it could have benefitted from some editing, Skin still shows a lot of growth -- it's more mature, and more memorable, than Flume.© Heather Phares /TiVo

The Aussie wunderkid of electronica returns with a new sound world for fans to get lost in. Those who have been long-standing fans may consider this album an amalgamation of Flume's career so far. Palaces has a few commercial, radio-ready hits that hark back to the success of his second album Skin, however, it is on the solo, more experimental tracks where things get exciting! Fans will recall the direction Flume took on his 2019 experimental mixtape Hi This is Flume. Although the tracklist is somewhat disjointed, there are more than enough fantastic tracks on the album for fans to cherrypick a few favourites. If Skin era Flume is your style, the collaborative track "Say Nothing" with MAY-A is a surefire standout. Mixing his experimental synths with the burgeoning hyperpop trend on tracks like "Highest Building" and "ESCAPE", Flume launches us into the future of pop. On an album inspired by the atmosphere of his home in rural New South Wales, "Sirens", featuring Caroline Polacheck's soaring vocals over signature Flume glitchy synths, is the perfect bridge between the commercial and experimental, and perhaps would've better fit higher up the tracklist. Nonetheless, this track is quintessential Flume. Now for the highlights, where the young artist's influences and production chops really shine. After working with icons of the genre such as SOPHIE, it is easy to hear their impact, especially on the solo tracks on Palaces, where little tidbits of catchy yet futuristic and entirely unexpected earworms can be found dotted throughout the album. "Get U", with its bone shaking bass experience, juxtaposed with the warped and wistful "Jasper's Song", deliver us something truly surprising and wonderful at the midpoint of the tracklist. Later followed up with "Love Light" and "Go", which have a more fluid style reminiscent of early Flume, circa Flume (2012) era for those super fans. The album closes out with title track "Palaces" featuring Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz). Littered with field recordings of outback birds from Australia, the track gives you a sense of release, a feeling of post-adventure clarity, an epiphany... It is safe to say Flume has delivered an album that has something for everyone that shows off his capabilities without tooting his own horn too much. © Jessica Porter-Langson / Qobuz

Following the release of his breakthrough, Grammy-winning sophomore set Skin, Australian electronic producer Flume made a surprise return in 2019 with the mixtape Hi This Is Flume (Future Classic). The swirling soundscapes on this atmospheric set peppered in guest appearances by HWLS and slowthai ("High Beams"), JPEGMAFIA ("How to Build a Relationship"), and SOPHIE ("Is It Cold in the Water" and "Voices"). Upon release, the tape charted on the Billboard 200 at number 185.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

The debut album from Australian electronic musician/producer Flume, aka Harley Streten, Flume is an atmospheric, experimental mix of electronic dance-oriented sounds that touches upon aspects of R&B, indie rock, and pop. Working with a bevy of artists including George Maple, Moon Holiday, Jezzabell Doran, Chet Faker, and New York rapper T-Shirt, Flume crafts tracks that are more like soundscapes than actual songs. More often than not, bits of melodies and lyrics pop up here and there, but tracks never quite gel into a hook in any traditional sense (although a few, like "Bring You Down," have a Dido-like trip-hop/dubstep quality). Which isn't to say these aren't catchy recordings. On the contrary, Flume has a knack for layering beats, instruments, samples, and vocals in a way that grabs your attention and creates an evocative, somewhat hypnotic mood. While not necessarily dancefloor-oriented, Flume's debut certainly fits into a post-2000s club vibe and DJ culture that borrows liberally, and often with inspired aplomb, from cut-and-paste hip-hop, avant-garde electronic composition, ambient pop, and contemporary R&B.© Matt Collar /TiVo

The debut album from Australian electronic musician/producer Flume, aka Harley Streten, Flume is an atmospheric, experimental mix of electronic dance-oriented sounds that touches upon aspects of R&B, indie rock, and pop. Working with a bevy of artists including George Maple, Moon Holiday, Jezzabell Doran, Chet Faker, and New York rapper T-Shirt, Flume crafts tracks that are more like soundscapes than actual songs. More often than not, bits of melodies and lyrics pop up here and there, but tracks never quite gel into a hook in any traditional sense (although a few, like "Bring You Down," have a Dido-like trip-hop/dubstep quality). Which isn't to say these aren't catchy recordings. On the contrary, Flume has a knack for layering beats, instruments, samples, and vocals in a way that grabs your attention and creates an evocative, somewhat hypnotic mood. While not necessarily dancefloor-oriented, Flume's debut certainly fits into a post-2000s club vibe and DJ culture that borrows liberally, and often with inspired aplomb, from cut-and-paste hip-hop, avant-garde electronic composition, ambient pop, and contemporary R&B.© Matt Collar /TiVo