When Harley Edward Streten, known professionally as Flume, dropped his sophomore studio album on May 27, 2016, the electronic music world didn't just shift—it split open. Titled simply Skin , the album was the highly anticipated follow-up to his 2012 self-titled debut. Where the first album put Australian future bass on the map, the launched it into the stratosphere.
The lyrics on "Flume Skin" are introspective and personal, with Flume exploring themes of love, relationships, and self-discovery. On tracks like "Say It" and "I'm a Mess", Flume's collaborators deliver heartfelt, emotive vocals that add depth and nuance to the album.
marked a transition toward a more expansive, collaborative, and "weird" sound that merged experimental electronic textures with pop and hip-hop. Key Album Details : The album won Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards and Album of the Year at the 2016 ARIA Music Awards. Core Sound
The album is a 16-track journey (on the deluxe version) that refuses to sit still. It jumps from glitchy IDM to pop hooks to ASMR-tinged ballads.
But the awards felt secondary. The real victory was the sold-out world tour, where Flume brought a massive LED flower installation on stage, turning the Skin visual universe into a live spectacle.
The crown jewel of the . This track is a perfect storm. Kai’s ethereal vocals sing about self-sabotage in a relationship, while Flume surrounds her with pitch-shifted stutters and a drop that sounds like a computer crying. It broke the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the first time a future bass track reached mainstream pop radio in the US.
Major artists from Lorde ( Melodrama ) to Charli XCX ( Pop 2 ) cited Skin as a direct influence on their production choices.
