Flume Teams With Emma Louise for New Collaborative Album, ‘DUMB’

Grammy-winning Australian electronic musician Flume (a.k.a. Harley Streten) has joined forces with multi-hyphenate artist Emma Louise to craft a new collaborative album, DUMB.

The forthcoming record is set for release on Aug. 22, with its release being previewed by way of the first single, “Easy Goodbye.”

“The title DUMB is loaded with weight for me,” Louise says. “Growing up undiagnosed neurodivergent, I often felt dumb—struggling at school, forgetting things, silencing myself to fit in. In the studio, whenever we got stuck, Harley and I would laugh and say ‘make it dumb’ to stop overthinking. It worked every time. 

“At first, naming the album DUMB felt irreverent and freeing, but later I realised how deeply it connected to my own fear of being seen as stupid and unworthy,” she continued. “This album is me reclaiming that word, letting go of shame, and promising myself I’ll never abandon my voice again.”

Louise first rose to fame in 2011 with her debut single “Jungle,” which received airplay thanks to Australian radio station triple j‘s Unearthed platform, which uncovers unsigned talent. 

That same year, Flume uploaded his first songs to the same platform, with his self-titled 2013 debut winning three of his eight nominations at that year’s ARIA Awards – which also saw Louise nominated for best female artist.

While Flume would hit No. 8 on the Billboard 200 with 2016’s Skin (which also saw him win best dance/electronic album at the 2017 Grammys), the pair would not work together formally until 2022, when Louise appeared on the track “Hollow” from Flume’s Palaces LP.

Flume ended a two-year musical hiatus in May, releasing the We Live in a Society EP with JPEGMafia, and is currently working on his fourth studio album. Louise, meanwhile, has not released a full studio album 2018’s Lilac Everything, though she has collaborated with the likes of Flight Facilities before her debut single received viral attention on TikTok.