Exclusive Interview: Flume on New Album ‘Palaces’ – the Album Title and Concept, the Influence of Australia and Farm Life, and His Creative Partnership with Jonathan Zawada
Featuring a host of vocalists and collaborators from around the world including breakout U.S. star Caroline Polachek, British polymath-icon Damon Albarn, Spain’s Vergen Maria, France’s Oklou, and fellow Australian Kučka, Palaces is the third album from Grammy-winning artist, Flume. Explorative, personal, progressive, Palaces is Flume’s most dynamic and eclectic set of compositions yet. Its thirteen tracks illustrate a producer and songwriter capable of a multitude of sonic textures and perspectives without ever losing sight of the power of a seamless yet heartfelt body of work.
In the lead-up to his European and U.K. tour dates – which kicks off July 8th and includes stop-offs in London, Paris, and Berlin, as well as an appearance at Germany’s Dour Festival and Spain’s Mad Cool Festival – we caught up with Flume (real name: Harley Streten). In this interview, he discusses the album’s title and concept, how the collection came together upon his return to Australia and adapting to “farm life”, as well as his creative partnership with artist Jonathan Zawada, and more. Find out Flume’s full touring schedule here.
Palaces began to take shape when Flume returned to his native Australia after struggling to write music in Los Angeles at the beginning of the pandemic. Settling in a coastal town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Flume quickly found the inspiration he needed through reconnecting with the nature around him – the rolling hills, walking around barefoot, the green colour the sky turns before a big storm, growing and eating his own vegetables, the smell of rain. He and his neighbour and long-time collaborator, the visual artist Jonathan Zawada, became fascinated by the local wildlife, in particular the birds, collecting field recordings that ultimately worked their way into the album. As Flume continued to forge a strong connection to his surroundings, the album he wanted to make started to form, eventually adopting a title to properly highlight the luxury and magic of the natural world. Palaces is his most confident, mature, and uncompromising work to date, a true testament to nurturing the relationships that make us whole and bring us peace.
Palaces is available now digitally and on standard vinyl, limited edition vinyl, CD, limited edition signed CD, and cassette via Transgressive/Future Classic: https://flu.me/palaces
Flume (born Harley Streten) rose to prominence as a teenager with his self-titled 2012 debut album, which established him as an international sensation. His 2016 LP Skin achieved Platinum certification around the world and earned him his first Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album. He went on to sell over 300,000 tickets globally across a sold-out, 59-date world tour that year, with headlining sets at Reading & Leeds Festivals and the famed Alexandra Palace. In 2019, Flume’s acclaimed Hi This Is Flume mixtape earned him his second Best Dance/Electronic Album Grammy nomination. He played line-up topping sets at festivals worldwide including Lollapalooza, Osheaga, Outside Lands, Japan’s Summersonic, Italy’s C2C, and more.
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