A decade after its inception, Skin remains a definitive electronic album of its era. It captured a brilliant artist evolving in real-time, shedding his old musical skin to create a complex, beautiful, and enduring piece of art.
This wordless, visceral instrumental is not an easy listen but a deliberate descent into anxiety. Described by Flume as an attempt to sound like "the fabric of the universe tearing," its menacing drums and growing tension make it a bold and unforgettable centerpiece.
A aggressive, hard-hitting track that showcases Flume’s hip-hop roots. Vince Staples delivers razor-sharp verses over industrial, metallic beats, perfectly contrasted by Kučka’s ethereal, high-pitched hooks.
| No. | Title | Featured Artist(s) | Writer(s) | Length | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1. | "Helix" | — | Harley Streten | 3:30 | | 2. | "Never Be Like You" | Kai | Streten, Alessia De Gasperis Brigante, Geoffrey Earley | 3:54 | | 3. | "Lose It" | Vic Mensa | Streten, Vic Mensa | 3:45 | | 4. | "Numb & Getting Colder" | Kučka | Streten, Laura Jane Lowther | 4:10 | | 5. | "Say It" | Tove Lo | Streten, Tove Lo | 4:22 | | 6. | "Wall Fuck" | — | Streten | 3:09 | | 7. | "Pika" | — | Streten | 1:56 | | 8. | "Smoke & Retribution" | Vince Staples & Kučka | Streten, Vince Staples, Lowther | 3:51 | | 9. | "3" | — | Streten | 3:04 | | 10. | "When Everything Was New" | — | Streten | 2:43 | | 11. | "You Know" | Allan Kingdom | Streten, Allan Kingdom | 2:26 | | 12. | "Take a Chance" | Little Dragon | Streten, Little Dragon | 5:28 | | 13. | "Innocence" | AlunaGeorge | Streten, Aluna Francis, George Reid | 6:07 | | 14. | "Like Water" | MNDR | Streten, Amanda Warner | 3:13 | | 15. | "Free" | — | Streten | 2:56 | | 16. | "Tiny Cities" | Beck | Streten, Beck Hansen | 3:58 | flume skin album
The defining characteristic of Skin is its deliberate friction between synthetic harshness and organic beauty. Flume masterfully juxtaposes metallic, distorted synthesizers with warm, human vocals and orchestral elements.
Skin was a commercial juggernaut and a critical triumph. It proved that experimental electronic music could thrive on the global pop charts without losing its edge. The album didn't just avoid the sophomore slump; it redefined what an electronic album could look and sound like.
Following his self-titled 2012 debut, which helped pioneer the "chillwave" and "future bass" movements, Skin was a deliberate attempt to "make weird stuff". Streten aimed for a sound that felt like the "fabric of the universe tearing," balancing skittish beats with melodic grandeur. The album is structured around a tug-of-war between two styles: A decade after its inception, Skin remains a
Flume's New 'Skin' Album Is A 16 Track ... - This Song Is Sick
One of the most striking things about Skin is its guest list. Flume curated a diverse lineup that bridged the gap between underground credibility and pop appeal:
A high-energy, brass-heavy electronic rap anthem that demonstrates Flume's ability to bend electronic sub-genres to fit a hip-hop cadence. Described by Flume as an attempt to sound
Before Skin , "future bass" was a niche SoundCloud genre. After Skin , every major pop star (from Lorde to Khalid to Halsey) wanted the "Flume sound." The pitch-shifted vocal chop became the most copied production trick of the late 2010s.
Skin was a pivotal platform for Flume's brand of cerebral, highly textured, and often distorted electronic music. It helped pave the way for future bass and other experimental genres to find a home on the pop charts, influencing countless producers who followed. The album remains a high-water mark in Flume’s career, a testament to the creative heights an artist can reach when they dig deep and embrace vulnerability.
The Flume used (plugins, hardware, and DAW secrets)
Flume chose the title Skin to represent something that is simultaneously .
The Skin era was further immortalized by an onslaught of legendary remixes. Flume's own edits of his tracks, alongside remixes from electronic heavyweights like Disclosure, Baauer, and Clean Bandit, kept the album burning on festival mainstages worldwide for years. The Lasting Legacy of 'Skin'