Flume and MAY-A (Photo credit: Nick Green)
PicasaThe Flume ride begins.
Australia’s electronic music savant returns with “Say Nothing” featuring MAY-A, the lead single from his forthcoming third album Palaces, due out May 20 via Future Classic.
In what could be an allegory of turbo-charged things to come, Flume’s official video and artwork for “Say Nothing” sees the producer sporting bleach-blonde hair, and posing with MAY-A on motorbikes. If you didn’t know better, you’d think he was ready to be shot out of a cannon.
The song, he explains in a statement, “is about feelings of post relationship clarity. We wrote the song midway through 2020 while the pandemic was still pretty new. I was really excited about the initial idea but it was only once I got back to Australia in early 2021 and linked up in the studio with MAY-A that the song really came to life.”
Flume gives his Aussie collaborator center stage in a production that creates a lot of room to breathe, and shifts clear of his future bass origins. The fractured snare that sits behind the mix is the only real giveaway of who’s tweaking the knobs.
“Say Nothing” and its forthcoming parent are the first cuts of new music from Flume since his 2019 EPs Quits and Hi This Is Flume, the latter nudging the Billboard 200 chart and peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA chart.
Sydneysider MAY-A is one of several international guests lined-up for the new 13-track effort, including, including Gorillaz and Blur frontman Damon Albarn, LAUREL, Caroline Polachek, Vergen Maria, Oklou, and fellow Australians Emma Louise and long-term Flume fave Kučka, triple j reports.
“There’s a whole spectrum of stuff, from more pop-leaning to weird stuff,” he told the broadcaster.
Flume’s most recent full-length LP was 2016’s Skin, which topped the ARIA Albums Chart, landed at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and won the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album.
The 30-year-old’s bulging trophy cabinet includes multiple ARIA and APRA Awards and, in a moment that saw him rise to the top of the pack, he snagged top spot for Triple J’s 2016 Hottest 100 poll with “Never Be like You” featuring Kai.
Flume (real name Harley Streten) will stage his return to festival-land later in the year with performances at Coachella, Bonnaroo and Governors Ball.
Watch the “Say Nothing” clip below.
NEWS
There is no question that Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out made a serious impact and continues to hold weight. The project showed that hip hop is not limited by age and proved that a long-awaited return can still land in a major way regardless of the time away.
If you need a reminder, the Virginia duo’s fourth studio album debuted comfortably within the top five of the Hot 200. It secured the number four position and moved an impressive 118,000 units in its first week.
On top of that, it picked up a win at this year’s Grammys, earning Best Rap Performance for “Chains & Whips.” The album also received four additional nominations, including Best Music Video, Rap Album, and Album of the Year.
It is hard to believe the project will officially hit its one year mark this summer on July 11. Even so, Pusha T is making it clear that both supporters and critics should not be overlooking it anytime soon.
While performing at Coachella yesterday, King Push told the crowd that LGSEO still sits at the top, regardless of genre.
He said, “‘Let God Sort Em Out’ is still the album of the motherfckin year. Whole new year, still album of the year,” per Kurrco. “Album of the motherfcking year until we drop again. We don't care who dropping. It don't matter.”
That is a strong statement for obvious reasons, especially considering the recent claims surrounding Push himself.
Over the same weekend, hip hop social media lit up after several alleged reference tracks connected to Quentin Miller and Push began circulating. Three tracks surfaced in total, but one that drew the most attention was an alleged record titled “Real Gon’ Come.” It is said to come from the DAYTONA era, around 2017 to 2018.
The situation gained traction because fans remember the past tension between Drake and Pusha T before Drake’s clash with Kendrick Lamar. During that feud, Pusha accused Drake of using ghostwriters on tracks like “Infrared,” which appears on DAYTONA. On that song, he raps, “The bigger question is how the Russians did it /
It was written like Nas, but it came from Quentin.”
Reactions have been mixed. Some people argue it is not a major issue since Miller’s alleged contributions were limited to hooks. Others point out that the songs were never officially released, so they see no real problem. Meanwhile, critics view it as clear hypocrisy on Pusha T’s part, a perspective that DJ Akademiks has also supported.
