Take Wall F——k. This is an exceptionally thick track, with more layers than I could think to count, and not a single spoken word. It’s an assault, sonically, but it doesn’t feel aggressive so much as it just feels deep and bass-filled. Yes, there’s lots of music like it, but there’s so little that feels so inventive in its light touches.

There’s a reason Flume is such a success. If he weren’t so good at adding pop inflection to big remixes, he’d be making intellectual electronic ambience like Tycho. It’s Streten’s ability to marry both ambience and production value that makes him such a wunderkind.

If there’s ever a rough spot on Skin, it’s some of the rap contributors that appear throughout. These tracks are often weaker than the others, if only because the rappers can’t hold a candle to Flume’s production.

But despite that, it’s hard not to recommend those tracks. Smoke & Retribution is far from my favourite track on the record, but it’s hard not to talk about it because the production work is so wildly inventive. The beat Flume has come up with is almost completely alien, totally different from what we’re used to hearing.

I could point to every track on the record and say something great about it. Skin is the sort of album that’s worth listening to from beginning to end, with good headphones on, and enjoying while knowing as little as possible about it. The pleasant surprises are part of the journey. And the final track is… Well, Beck guests on it.

With that in mind, I want to leave you to listen to Skin without me spoiling some of its best moments. If you like electronic music, you’ll love Flume’s Skin. It’s one of my favourite albums of the year so far.

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Their debut record swaps out some of the partying for tunes about love and loss, but the band never seems to take it too seriously. That’s not a complaint; actually, it’s pretty refreshing to hear a band that doesn’t care so much and recognizes it as life being what it is.

I’ve heard a lot of bands like Hinds, but what really makes them unique is the camaraderie between lead singers Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perote. Where most duet leads work off each other with harmonies, these two ladies will sing opposing parts and let the music slowly build into a shouting match.

In other words, these two ladies are definitely punk.

But it’s their defining feature. It’s what makes them unique. And they sound awesome together, and the band is undoubtedly at their best when they’re just belting it out. Recommended.

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