

The cameraperson’s willingness to zoom on to audience members showed the crowd was on his level, if not beyond it.Īnd why wouldn’t they be? Across 90 minutes, Flume fit in more than 25 tracks – some truncated, though never awkwardly – from across his career. Relative newcomer May-a was particularly enthusiastic, jumping and twirling across the stage the screens showed Flume continually beaming too. Frequent collaborator Kučka and Say Nothing singer May-a repeatedly ran out for their tracks and to fill in for other female vocalists – the notable exception being Palaces track Sirens, which saw US singer Caroline Polachek, who pulled out of a tour-wide support slot to focus on her second solo album, projected on to the back screen.

Streten mixed in deep cuts alongside fan-favourite remixes, including his dubstep take on Disclosure’s You and Me and a glitched-out version of Lorde’s Tennis Court. Allaying fears that the Palaces tour wouldn’t deliver old faithfuls, Flume kicked off with early career hit Holdin On and a D&B remix of Drop the Game, before bringing back Toro for their collab The Difference.Ĭontinually hopping between eras kept a sense of momentum and unpredictability. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morningĪny lethargy dissipated instantly when Streten arrived between two panels mid-stage, donning a motorcycle suit and twisting knobs to rev an engine into overdrive.
FLUME 2022 ALBUM CRACKED
The ravers no doubt questioned if they had cracked their glowsticks too early during Toro y Moi and Channel Tres – two Californians whose respective psych-funk and laid-back house sets are high quality, but not necessarily high BPM. The venue – Homebush’s 10,000-capacity Dome and the attached Exhibition Halls – took time to fill up. These cold, spacious metallic works have more in common with Arca or the late Sophie than the EDM and future-bass DJs more commonly associated with Flume.īefore Streten took to the stage, there was uncertainty in the air.
FLUME 2022 ALBUM FULL
Whilst some tracks are arguably a bit forgettable, this album is still full of some brilliant moments.While still releasing a set of festival singalong glitch-pop and hip-hop collaborations, mostly as standalone singles, both Flume’s 2019 mixtape Hi This is Flume and 2022 album Palaces push back with some of his most experimental, anti-commercial radio production yet.

The second half of the album is definitely the stronger half, and the disappointing opening album track is definitely made up for with later album tracks like “Go” and “Get U”. Palaces is, overall, a decent album and one that would translate brilliantly to the live space. But then these great moments are broken by tracks like “I Can’t Tell,” which feels dull and unexciting, especially compared to subsequent heavy bass track “Get U.” Tracks “DHLC”, “Go” and “Love Light” are excellent the addictive drops and catchy beats are immediately intriguing and infectious. However, some of the standout moments of the album are when Flume is solo. It’s an effect that feels much more natural and complimentary to the sharp electric sound throughout. In contrast, subsequent tracks “Sirens” and “Hollow” demonstrate a brilliant contrast to the electronic edge of the drops and the smooth vibrato of the vocals. Opening track “Highest Building” starts off promisingly, but is ultimately let down by the unnatural mash of auto-tuned vocals. This is most notable on title track “Palaces," featuring Damon Albarn, which provides a soft and calming melody to accompany the birds. The album even features bird song recordings which are subtly woven throughout the album and provide an excellent ode to which Flume’s homeland. Palaces is an album centred around Flume’s return to his home of Australia and the iconic natural landscape and biodiversity. It’s full of incredibly sharp hooks and punchy beats, broken with some softer moments in between. These perhaps surprising features contributed to the unique form of this album, which is definitely much stronger in the second half. His first full length album since 2019’s Hi This Is Flume, Palaces has a number of surprising features from big names such as Caroline Polachek and Damon Albarn.
