Flume and Chet Faker are two of the biggest names in electronic and alternative music today, just off the success of their solo records. Faker’s unique voice and ability to think in textures sets him apart from nearly all his contemporaries (with perhaps the exception of Sylvan Esso). And Flume has an uncanny sense of pop music in all his electronic influences.
The two also make an incredible pair. Flume’s electronic synthesizers pair well with Faker’s wobbly, broken-sounding voice and result in something that sounds more like an amalgamation of both of their styles than it does the sound of Faker or Flume alone.
While Flume has a great sense of beat and rhythm, and is more than willing to break tradition to try something new, on Lockjaw he breaks that tradition to cater more towards Faker’s voice. And Faker stretches himself to match Flume’s pop sensibilities.
Hindsight is 20/20, of course. What’s most interesting about Lockjaw is what it says about Faker’s career progression: the EP nearly perfectly bridges his styles as he moved from Thinking With Textures to some of Built On Glass’s more evident pop tonalities. It makes you wonder what Flume’s sophomore record Skin, due at some point this year, is going to sound like.
At three tracks long, Lockjaw is short and sweet, and easily digestible. Putting it on repeat reveals a lot of fine details and incredible production value: only Flume and Chet Faker could make it sound as if the music you’re hearing is coming from above and below you, as well as the left and right channels of your stereo speakers.
Lockjaw, like everything these two artists make, is an experience.