Flume has a new album called Palaces coming out on May 20—the follow-up to 2019's mixtape Hi This Is Flume and 2016's LP Skin. The latest sample of the Australian electronic musician's forthcoming project is the single "Sirens" featuring Caroline Polachek, which was co-written and produced by Danny L Harle.
When describing Polachek's higher, pearly registers, the term "siren-esque" definitely fits the bill. She enacts that otherworldly quality on the track that's named after the aquatic mythical creatures. Hazy synths circle around her vocals at the song's beginning, while a metallic melody plays in the background. "And if I could / I'd raise my arm / And wave a wand / To end all harm," goes the opening verse. Instead of embodying the enticing, historically terrifying persona of a siren, Polachek sings about ending their cries. The majestic single is the antithesis of a siren's deadly song; it's a cry for healing.
"Caroline and I had known each other for years, but she'd just moved to LA and we bumped into each other living down the street," Flume said. "We started playing weekly games of Magic the Gathering with A.G. Cook and a few friends. We started doing a session, and Danny L Harle showed me a voice note from Caroline with some very early stages of vocals. I loved it and went back in on it during the pandemic."
Polachek shared further insight to the track: "I was living by myself in London, and it was the darkest time in the pandemic. I was really going through it, feeling so small, unable to control anything in the world, and the lyric 'sirens' was in reference to the constant ambulances I was hearing."
Listen to "Sirens" below, and pre-order Palaces here.
