Flume released his third studio album, Palaces, earlier this year. Following the success of Hi This Is Flume in 2019, it felt like whatever the Australian artist put out next would share equal success. Unfortunately, commercial reception to the album wasn’t exactly what was expected, he revealed in a recent interview.
“I feel like honestly, [Palaces] didn’t do as well as I thought it was gonna do – and I’ve kind of had to just roll with that,” he told The Music. “I mean, it didn’t do bad, but it hasn’t continued this unstoppable rise that I’ve been feeling for many years.
“It doesn’t feel like it’s had as much impact as things in the past. So it took me a second to get my head around [that]. I felt a bit weird about that at first. But I’m really proud of all the songs on there and how it sounds and I love it.”
Palaces, he says, was really a tribute to his good friend SOPHIE, who passed away in 2021. Indeed, many of the instrumental tracks on the album share her affinity for sound design and arrangement, which the two no doubt bonded over during the course of their friendship.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been influenced by someone so much or so inspired by a single person,” he said. “Then, on top of that, to be able to call SOPHIE a friend and work with SOPHIE on so many different projects over the years, a bunch of songs on the mixtape… It’s genuinely devastating, not only on a personal level, but on a creative level and a cultural level for the world.”
You can listen to Palaces now.
Photo: Matsu