Skin (Flume album)

2016 studio album by Flume

Skin

Studio album by

Flume

Released| 27 May 2016 (2016-05-27)
Genre|

* Future bass[1]
* electropop[2]
* dance-pop[3]
* hip hop[4]
* EDM[5][6]

Length| 60:34
Label|

* Future Classic
* Mom + Pop
* Transgressive

Producer| Harley Streten
Flume chronology
| Lockjaw EP
(2013)  | Skin
(2016)  | Skin Companion EP 1
(2016)

|
|

Singles from  Skin

1. "Never Be Like You"
Released: 15 January 2016
2. "Smoke & Retribution"
Released: 28 January 2016
3. "Say It"
Released: 20 April 2016

Skin is the second studio album by Australian electronic musician Flume. It was released on 27 May 2016 by Future Classic. The album was Flume's second full-length release following his self-titled debut in 2012. It features guest appearances from Kai, Vic Mensa, Kučka, Tove Lo, Vince Staples, Allan Kingdom, Raekwon, Little Dragon, AlunaGeorge, MNDR, and Beck.

Skin received generally positive reviews and debuted at number one on the Australian Albums Chart, also peaking at number eight on the US Billboard 200. The album was named Album of the Year at the 2016 ARIA Music Awards. It also won the Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards. At the J Awards, the album was nominated for Australian Album of the Year.

## Release and promotion

[edit]

Skin premiered via a Facebook live stream on 26 May 2016, which also included video segments of Phil Taggart interviewing Flume at the album listening party in London.[7] "Never Be Like You" featuring Canadian singer Kai, was released as the album's lead single on 15 January 2016.[8][9] "Smoke & Retribution" featuring American rapper Vince Staples and Australian singer Kučka, was released as the album's second single on 28 January 2016.[10][11] "Say It" featuring Swedish singer Tove Lo, was released as the album's third single on 20 April 2016.[12][13]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsAggregate scores

Source| Rating
AnyDecentMusic?| 6.8/10[14]
Metacritic| 75/100[15]
Review scores
Source| Rating
AllMusic| [16]
Consequence| B[5]
Evening Standard| [17]
The Independent| [18]
The Irish Times| [19]
The Observer| [2]
Pitchfork| 6.4/10[6]
Rolling Stone| [20]
Slant Magazine| [3]
The Sydney Morning Herald| [21]

Skin was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 75, based on 11 reviews.[15] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.8 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[14]

Heather Phares of AllMusic said, "While it could have benefitted from some editing, Skin still shows a lot of growth--it's more mature, and more memorable, than Flume".[16] Kahron Spearman of The Austin Chronicle said, "Skin goes Technicolor and bigger, effectively standing on the shoulders of Disclosure and giant stars including Skrillex, Diplo, and album collaborator/reinventor Beck".[22] Derek Staples of Consequence said, "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".[5] The Independent's Justin Carissimo gave the album a very positive review, stating that the album was "the audio equivalent of ecstasy".[18] David Smith of the Evening Standard gave a similarly positive review, stating that "this is music that can do much more than get feet moving".[17] Luke Fowler of Pretty Much Amazing said, "Skin is the sound of Flume reaching for great heights and almost grasping what he seeks there".[23]

Stacey Anderson of Pitchfork said, "["Wall Fuck" is] short and snappy, gone too fast in an album that could've been streamlined to let moments like it shine. But maybe it's the sound of floodgates opening".[6] Keith Harris of Rolling Stone said, "Restless versatility is all over the LP, generating the emotional crests and sensory overload a festival crowd demands, but with a nuance that'll make it work even if you aren't shirtless in the desert".[20] Jonathan Wroble of Slant Magazine said, "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".[3] The Sydney Morning Herald's Craig Mathieson gave the album a positive review, stating that "the record is intoxicating and eclectic".[21] Jim Carroll of The Irish Times felt that several tracks seemed to emphasize "showing off textures rather than providing the breathing room for an actual song to emerge".[19] Ben Thompson of The Observer said, "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".[2]

### Industry awards

[edit]

Awards and nominations for Skin Year  | Ceremony  | Category  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

2016  | ARIA Music Awards | Album of the Year | Won  | [24]
J Awards | Australian Album of the Year  | Nominated  | [25]
2017  | AIR Awards | Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album  | Nominated  | [26]
Grammy Awards | Best Dance/Electronic Album | Won  | [27]

## Track listing

[edit]

All tracks produced by Flume.

Skin track listingNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Helix"| Harley Streten| 3:30
2.| "Never Be Like You" (featuring Kai)|

* Streten
* Alessia De Gasperis-Brigante
* Geoffrey Earley

| 3:54
3.| "Lose It" (featuring Vic Mensa)|

* Streten
* Victor Mensah

| 3:45
4.| "Numb & Getting Colder" (featuring Kučka)|

* Streten
* Laura Jane Lowther
* Earley

| 5:08
5.| "Say It" (featuring Tove Lo)|

* Streten
* Ebba Nilsson
* Daniel Johns

| 4:23
6.| "Wall Fuck"| Streten| 3:09
7.| "Pika"|

* Streten
* Will Johnson

| 1:55
8.| "Smoke & Retribution" (featuring Vince Staples and Kučka)|

* Streten
* Vince Staples
* Lowther

| 4:01
9.| "3"| Streten| 3:04
10.| "When Everything Was New"| Streten| 2:27
11.| "You Know" (featuring Allan Kingdom and Raekwon)|

* Streten
* Allan Kyariga
* Corey Woods

| 3:22
12.| "Take a Chance" (featuring Little Dragon)|

* Streten
* Yukimi Nagano
* Erik Bodin
* Fredrik Wallin
* Håkan Wirenstrand

| 5:28
13.| "Innocence" (featuring AlunaGeorge)|

* Streten
* Aluna Francis

| 6:18
14.| "Like Water" (featuring MNDR)|

* Streten
* Amanda Warner
* Peter Wade Keusch

| 3:13
15.| "Free"| Streten| 2:56
16.| "Tiny Cities" (featuring Beck)|

* Streten
* Beck Hansen

| 3:56
Total length:| 60:34

Notes

* "Say It" features additional vocals by Daniel Johns
* "Pika" features vocals by Wills

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

Chart performance for Skin | Chart (2016)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[28] | 1
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[29] | 25
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[30] | 3
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[31] | 13
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[32] | 8
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[33] | 17
French Albums (SNEP)[34] | 48
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[35] | 43
Irish Albums (IRMA)[36] | 28
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[37] | 1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[38] | 26
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[39] | 20
UK Albums (OCC)[40] | 25
US Billboard 200[41] | 8
US Top Dance Albums (Billboard)[42] | 1

### Year-end charts

[edit]

2016 year-end chart performance for Skin | Chart (2016)  | Position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[43] | 16
Australian Dance Albums (ARIA)[44] | 1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[45] | 111
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[46] | 189
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[47] | 49
US Billboard 200[48] | 118
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[49] | 4
2017 year-end chart performance for Skin Chart (2017)  | Position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[50] | 89
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[51] | 6
2018 year-end chart performance for Skin Chart (2018)  | Position

|

US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[52] | 21

## Certifications

[edit]

Certifications for Skin Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Australia (ARIA)[53] | Platinum  | 70,000‡
United States (RIAA)[54] | Gold  | 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

## See also

[edit]

* List of number-one albums of 2016 (Australia)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Turner, David (14 February 2017). "Future Bass: Get Familiar With EDM's Sound of 2017". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
2. ^ a b c Thompson, Ben (29 May 2016). "Flume: Skin review – guest-heavy dance with broad horizons". The Observer. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
3. ^ a b c Wroble, Jonathan (25 May 2016). "Flume: Skin". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 28 May 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
4. ^ Jenkins, Nash (22 June 2016). "Flume's New Album Skin Is The Gritty Future of Electronic Music". Time. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
5. ^ a b c Staples, Derek (27 May 2016). "Flume – Skin". Consequence. Archived from the original on 4 May 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
6. ^ a b c Anderson, Stacey (2 June 2016). "Flume: Skin". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 6 June 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
7. ^ Sam Murphy (26 May 2016). "Flume's Entire New Album 'Skin' Is Available To Stream in Full, On Facebook". Music Feeds. Archived from the original on 28 May 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
8. ^ "Never Be Like You (feat. Kai) – Single by Flume on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
9. ^ Stutz, Colin (15 January 2016). "Flume Asserts Himself on New Single, 'Never Be Like You': Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
10. ^ Carley, Brennan (28 January 2016). "Flume and Vince Staples Toss Up 'Smoke & Retribution'". Spin. Archived from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
11. ^ Rishty, David (28 January 2016). "Listen to Flume's 'Smoke And Retribution' With Rapper Vince Staples". Billboard. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
12. ^ Carley, Brennan (20 April 2016). "Flume Enlists Tove Lo to Masterfully 'Say It' for Him". Spin. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
13. ^ Brown, Lisa (20 April 2016). "Flume Teams Up With Tove Lo for New Single 'Say It'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
14. ^ a b "Skin by Flume reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
15. ^ a b "Reviews for Skin by Flume". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 14 June 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
16. ^ a b Phares, Heather. "Skin – Flume". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
17. ^ a b Smyth, David (27 May 2016). "Flume – Skin, review: 'does much more than get feet moving'". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 28 May 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
18. ^ a b Carissimo, Justin (3 June 2016). "Flume's 'Skin' is the audio equivalent of ecstasy". The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 June 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
19. ^ a b Carroll, Jim (10 June 2016). "Flume – Skin album review: a galaxy of collaborators with grooves to match". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 13 June 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
20. ^ a b Harris, Keith (17 June 2016). "Skin". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
21. ^ a b Zuel, Bernard (27 May 2016). "Flume's new album Skin is intoxicating and eclectic". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
22. ^ Spearman, Kahron (30 September 2016). "ACL Fest 2016 – Review: Flume". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on 16 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
23. ^ Fowler, Luke (31 May 2016). "Review: Flume, Skin". Pretty Much Amazing. Archived from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
24. ^ Brandie, Lars (23 November 2016). "Flume, Troye Sivan, Violent Soho Rule 2016 ARIA Awards". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
25. ^ Murphy, Sam (17 November 2016). "The 2016 J Award Winners Have Been Announced". Music Feeds. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
26. ^ Reid, Poppy (31 May 2017). "A.B Original dominates 2017 AIR Awards nominations". The Industry Observer. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
27. ^ "Grammy Awards 2017: See the Full Winners List". Billboard. 12 February 2017. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
28. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Flume – Skin". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
29. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Flume – Skin" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
30. ^ "Ultratop.be – Flume – Skin" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
31. ^ "Ultratop.be – Flume – Skin" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
32. ^ "Flume Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
33. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Flume – Skin" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
34. ^ "Lescharts.com – Flume – Skin". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
35. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Flume – Skin" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
36. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 22, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
37. ^ "Charts.nz – Flume – Skin". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
38. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Flume – Skin". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
39. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Flume – Skin". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
40. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
41. ^ "Flume Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
42. ^ "Flume Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
43. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2016". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 6 January 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
44. ^ "ARIA Australian Highest Selling Dance Albums 2016" (PDF). ARIA Charts (End of Year 2016 Report): 18. 18 January 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
45. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2016 Albums". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
46. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2016 Albums". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
47. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 2016". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on 26 December 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
48. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Archived from the original on 11 April 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
49. ^ "Top Dance/Electronic Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
50. ^ "ARIA End of Year Albums 2017". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
51. ^ "Top Dance/Electronic Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
52. ^ "Top Dance/Electronic Albums – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
53. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2018 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
54. ^ "American album certifications – Flume – Skin". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 14 May 2023.

Awards and achievements

Preceded by

Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü

|  Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album
2017 | Incumbent

* v
* t
* e

Flume

* Discography

Studio albums|

* Flume (2012)
* Skin (2016)
* Palaces (2022)
* Dumb (2025)

Remix albums|

* Skin: The Remixes (2017)

Mixtapes|

* Hi This Is Flume (2019)
* Things Don't Always Go the Way You Plan (2023)
* Arrived Anxious, Left Bored (2023)

Extended plays|

* Lockjaw (2013)
* Skin Companion EP 1 (2016)
* Skin Companion EP 2 (2017)
* Quits (2019)
* We Live in a Society (2025)

Singles|

* "Sleepless"
* "On Top"
* "Holdin On"
* "Drop the Game"
* "Some Minds"
* "Never Be Like You"
* "Smoke & Retribution"
* "Say It"
* "Hyperreal"
* "Friends"
* "Let You Know"
* "Rushing Back"
* "The Difference"
* "Say Nothing"
* "Silent Assassin"

Related articles|

* Chet Faker

Awards for Skin

* v
* t
* e

ARIA Award for Album of the Year

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* v
* t
* e

Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album

2000s|

* Kish Kash – Basement Jaxx (2005)
* Push the Button – The Chemical Brothers (2006)
* Confessions on a Dance Floor – Madonna (2007)
* We Are the Night – The Chemical Brothers (2008)
* Alive 2007 – Daft Punk (2009)

2010s|

* The Fame – Lady Gaga (2010)
* La Roux – La Roux (2011)
* Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites – Skrillex (2012)
* Bangarang – Skrillex (2013)
* Random Access Memories – Daft Punk (2014)
* Syro – Aphex Twin (2015)
* Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü – Jack Ü (2016)
* Skin – Flume (2017)
* 3-D The Catalogue – Kraftwerk (2018)
* Woman Worldwide – Justice (2019)

2020s|

* No Geography – The Chemical Brothers (2020)
* Bubba – Kaytranada (2021)
* Subconsciously – Black Coffee (2022)
* Renaissance – Beyoncé (2023)
* Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022) – Fred Again (2024)
* Brat – Charli XCX (2025)

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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