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Skin Image
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 215 Ratings

  • Summary: The second full-length release for Australian electronic producer Harley Streten features guest appearances from AlunaGeorge, Beck, Kai, Allan Kingdom, Kučka, Little Dragon, Tove Lo, Vic Mensa, MNDR, Raekwon, and Vince Staples.
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  • Record Label: Mom + Pop Music
  • Genre(s): Pop, Electronic, Garage, Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Club/Dance, Indie Electronic, Dubstep, EDM, Left-Field Pop
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Top Track

Never Be Like You
What I would do to take away this fear of being loved Allegiance to the pain Now I fucked up and I miss you I'll never be like you I would give... See the rest of the song lyrics
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 11
  2. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. 100
    Skin is brilliant across the board.
  2. May 27, 2016
    80
    While it could have benefitted from some editing, Skin still shows a lot of growth--it's more mature, and more memorable, than Flume.
  3. May 27, 2016
    75
    Gearing up to be the next EDM crossover talent, Flume’s sophomore effort, Skin, showcases a producer at ease with all of the sounds moving tickets at America’s major festival events: hip-hop, indie pop, and EDM.
  4. May 27, 2016
    70
    If the burden on electronic producers is to establish personality beyond a dense network of light displays and computer processing, this album gets Flume halfway there: It shows him as unquestionably human (overeager, alternately flashy and timid, sometimes more in awe than in control), but still a bit faceless.
  5. 70
    While so much EDM sounds the same right now, his tracks are thankfully hard to pigeonhole--as they weave industrial, deep house, dubstep, minimal and hip hop influences into a cohesive whole that’s both danceable and perfect for sofa listening too.
  6. Sep 30, 2016
    67
    Skin goes Technicolor and bigger, effectively standing on the shoulders of Disclosure and giant stars including Skrillex, Diplo, and album collaborator/reinventor Beck.
  7. May 31, 2016
    60
    Distinguished guests--UK nearly siren AlunaGeorge, rapper Vince Staples--are ushered respectfully through a series of viable electronic hinterlands, where a couple of them, notably perennial cameo supplier Little Dragon and Wu Tang vet Raekwon, manage to put down roots in actual songs.

See all 11 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 28
  2. Negative: 1 out of 28
  1. May 27, 2016
    10
    Flume never disappoints, that's a fact! 'Never Been Like You' was just a sample of how he had evolved as an artist and producer, and now, withFlume never disappoints, that's a fact! 'Never Been Like You' was just a sample of how he had evolved as an artist and producer, and now, with the whole album released, you can see that in each track. I really love it and and point to buy YES! Buy it on iTunes and on Amazon!! Expand
  2. May 28, 2016
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Album ratings (do not read if you haven't heard album)

    1. Helix 85
    2. Never Be Like You (feat. Kai) 95
    3. Lose It (feat. Vic Mensa) 90
    4. Numb & Getting Colder (feat. Kučka) 100
    5. Say It (feat. Tove Lo) 80
    6. Wall F**k 85
    7. Pika 80
    8. Smoke & Retribution (feat. Vince Staples & Kučka) 90
    9. 3 85
    10. When Everything Was New 90
    11. You Know (feat. Allan Kingdom & Raekwon) 80
    12. Take a Chance (feat. Little Dragon) 95
    13. Innocence (feat. AlunaGeorge) 90
    14. Like Water (feat. MNDR) 80
    15. Free 100
    16. Tiny Cities (feat. Beck) 95

    10/10 awesome album the best!!!
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  3. May 27, 2016
    10
    While many ones thought it would be just a basic EDM album, 'Skin' comes and surprises everyone with futuristic touches, distorted andWhile many ones thought it would be just a basic EDM album, 'Skin' comes and surprises everyone with futuristic touches, distorted and extremely well placed noise. By far, this one of the best EDM albums of the year - along with 99, 9% by Kaytranada. Expand
  4. May 28, 2016
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Flume continues to flourish with his very impressive production techniques, chord schemes and general musical understanding. Tracks like "Free" demonstrate Flume's experimental ability with the shrill synths automated all over the place to produce this imperfect, non-mechanical feel which is incredibly difficult to pull off in the world of electronic music where the vast majority of it is aided by DAW and software plugins rather than recording any live instruments. The oozing synths on "Take A Chance" really gripped me with how happy and charming Flume can be, where as tracks like "Wall F*ck" showcase the depth of his sound palette. The jabbing, heavy use of distortion is very prominent in this piece. Other tracks with more pop appeal, including the big "Never Be Like You", "Say It" and "Lose It" successfully amalgamate with the rest of the album.

    This is an outstanding album. The only reason this didn't quite get the 10 was the omission of two tracks which were presented in the preview compilation. These two songs would have put the icing on the cake. Congratulations Flume.
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  5. May 29, 2016
    9
    This album takes the broad, diverse, and vase Flume 'style' further down the rabbit hole. A more diverse, intimate, experimental rabbit hole.This album takes the broad, diverse, and vase Flume 'style' further down the rabbit hole. A more diverse, intimate, experimental rabbit hole. I personally didn't hat any tracks on this album, except for maybe the weird singing on "3", and "Say It" sounds quite commercial imo (still adhering to the OG Flume style), but other than that, it's incredible. Personally recommend Helix, Smoke and Retribution, When Everything was New, Innocence, Like Water, and Tiny Cities Expand
  6. May 27, 2016
    8
    It's sad to see the current state of EDM is growing more and more dull in the mainstream and indie world, as we're currently in the year ofIt's sad to see the current state of EDM is growing more and more dull in the mainstream and indie world, as we're currently in the year of Tropical House growing and becoming less unique. It's not like 2012 or 2013 when EDM was really growing, with bombastic buildups and massive drops to get everyone ready to go wild. However, this was also a perfect time for producers to get more experimental with their electronic music, and one of those acts that broke through was Flume. An Australian Electronic producer and DJ who started releasing music around 2011 before releasing his debut album in 2012, and he's kept his reputation in the indie world thanks to various remixes he's done. Four years later, Flume announces his second album Skin with fans and listeners becoming excited to hear new material from the guy. Even though I wasn't wild about that debut album mostly for going on too long and losing my interest too quickly, I have grown to become a huge fan of Flume and was hoping for something worthwhile with Skin, was I right?

    Well here's the thing, Skin ends up being an album that finds Flume bringing his most oddball and weird tracks yet, even still it's an improvement upon the debut and shows Flume growing as a musician. And while this album isn't for everyone, it's still a great album all the same.

    Let's start with the instrumentals, while Flume did some genre hopping on his debut, this album shows him try out other genres even more. From Synthpop to Acid House to moments of Hip Hop where Flume proves to be better at producing Hip Hop than most Hip Hop producers in music today. The chunky beats on Say It, the gleaming synths and trap hi-hats on Never Be Like You, the 80's inspired keys on Tiny Cities, and the acid house flavored Lose It all sound great with memorable melodies and catchy hooks to back them up. The best instrumental comes from the cinematic and trip hop touches of You Know, with Flume showing the most restraint and control ever for a song, creating both tension and attention to the guests. The instrumental tracks also stand out among the tracklist, from the carnival inspired When Everything Was New to the distorted and dark Wall F**k that perfectly describes the song as a whole. If there was an instrumental I wasn't a fan of it would come with Smoke and Retribution, mostly for it's choppy synths not complimenting Vince Staples and then a sudden changeup for Kucka's hook that feels out of place and doesn't match the more aggressive tone of the song.

    One thing that Flume got an upgrade on for sure on this album are the guests he brings on board, with the likes of Raekwon, Beck, AlunaGeorge, Tove Lo, Vic Mensa and various others. Thankfully most of guests work well with Flume, the best being on You Know, and while Allan Kingdom is fine on the opening verse and bridge, it's Raekwon who kills it here with a verse describing gang activity and a suspicious man dating his niece matching the intensity of the song. Kai gives a solid performance on Never Be Like You, Tove Lo matches Flume's production on Say It really well same case also for Beck's laid back delivery on Tiny Cities, and the low-key yet passionate performance given by Little Dragon on the off-kilter Take a Chance are all great and compliment the album as a whole. However, there are a few weak moments, while Vic Mensa has some decent verses on Lose It he shouldn't have been on the hook and is really the only weak part of an otherwise good song. The contributions from Kucka make her a non presence on her songs, and MNDR's performance has very little worth caring about, same thing also for AlunaGeorge on Innocence.

    So what about the lyrics? The themes throughout Skin include broken relationships, losing all control, sex, emotions and at one point a gang attack. Otherwise, most of this album is very loopy and not focused much on any real stories except for You Know. That being said, tracks like When Everything Was New seem to have undertones implying nostalgia of childhood memories and Wall F**k is just straight up about going insane with emotions and not being able to handle it all. However, my biggest complaint here with the album is the lack of direction, as I do wish Flume had more of an underlying theme throughout the album or if he shorten the album considering it runs for about an hour long.

    Still though, Skin is a huge improvement from the debut and is worth revisiting for the rest of 2016, with some of the best material Flume has ever produced and maybe some of his most mainstream work yet. Even though there are a few weak and forgettable tracks and it runs a little too long, I still enjoyed a lot from Skin. So I'm giving the album a light 8 and a recommendation to fans and newcomers, though like I said at the beginning this album isn't for everyone and I'm pretty much okay with that.

    Best Songs: You Know, Never Be Like You, Say It, When Everything Was New, Wall F**k, Lose It
    Worst Songs: Smoke and Retribution
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  7. May 27, 2016
    0
    I expected more to be honest, sound so cheap and annoying. I'm so disappointed. Don't buy it, it's not worthy. There's not even a decent songI expected more to be honest, sound so cheap and annoying. I'm so disappointed. Don't buy it, it's not worthy. There's not even a decent song in the album, this is completely trash. Expand

See all 28 User Reviews