Still, Palaces is a strong record containing immense detail and many strong tracks.It’s a big day for fans of Australian producer Flume. The pace of many of the singles is also somewhat sluggish – this might have been remedied by additional hip hop influence on the record and some rap performances. Seamless transitions elevated Flume‘s celebrated Hi This Is Flume mixtape, but are missing on this LP, and together with the occasionally sparse arrangements, the track-to-track momentum is lost. “ Go” might already be relegated to obscurity, hidden at the end of the record, despite its ardently cheerful mood and danceable moments. “ Love Light” is a more classic instrumental with sampled vocals that function as a sort of lead synth, but it lurches up and down keys in its verse in an unsettling way.

“ Jasper’s Song” is the most straightforward sounding interlude where a piano sample gets gradually twisted, but compared to the quirkiness arising across the rest of the record, it feels like a pulled punch. “ DHLC” is a short number that embraces arpeggiated cacophony and satisfying reprises. The strongest of these is “ Get U”, which transitions mid track from a skulking dark rhythmic introduction into a muffled but bright vocal outro that’s utterly triumphant. The tracks without specific features are subtler pieces that give the record an interesting structure. “ Only Fans” induces tonal whiplash with its subject, but the Flume-isms in the production are entirely fitting for a tongue-in-cheek track. “ I Can’t Tell”’s promising dynamics are let down by its plodding pace and unsatisfying wonky-trap choruses, although Laurel‘s brilliant vocal performance is to be celebrated. It’s hit and miss though – “ Highest Building” is not as catchy or compelling as it needs to be as the record’s opener. “ Hollow” and “ Sirens” are soulful, stuttering singles that are well worth checking out, particularly the latter, where Caroline Polachek’s stunning vocals are constantly juxtaposed against abrasive rhythms and tremolo-filtered leads. “ Escape” also demonstrates that Flume‘s style is not simply split between pop tracks and quirky experiments – the chorus is a catchy, choppy instrumental break, with glitching laser gun synths that entwine with sampled vocals. “ Say Nothing” and “ Escape” are the strongest examples of Flume‘s abstract production choices on anthemic club songs, much like his past turbo-hit “ Never Be Like You”. The record benefits from a wide but consistent sonic palette, but the only thing missing is rapping – instead, most of the guest appearances end up on EDM ballads, which this record has perhaps too many of. The album contains a smorgasbord of features, giving the microphone to some lesser-known pop acts ( Oklou, MAY-A, Kucka, Quiet Bison, Laurel, Virgen Maria, and Emma Louise) and a few better-known ones ( Damon Albarn and Caroline Polachek). Palaces oozes his signature style – consistently bold production choices and wild synthesizers drenching cutting-edge pop songs and glitchy interludes. Ten years after his first LP, Flume emerges again from the studio. “ It hurts to love and leave, I don’t love you lеss.“

Flume album