Skins n Slime

Skins n Slime
Studio album by
Oliver Coates
Released16 October 2020 (2020-10-16)
GenreAmbient
Length44:09
LabelRVNG Intl.
Oliver Coates chronology
Shelley's on Zenn-La
(2018)		 Skins n Slime
(2020)		 Throb, Shiver, Arrow of Time
(2024)

Skins n Slime is a studio album by English cellist Oliver Coates. It was released on 16 October 2020 through RVNG Intl. It received universal acclaim from critics.

Background

Oliver Coates is an English cellist from London. Skins n Slime is a follow-up to Shelley's on Zenn-La (2018). He completed the album in Glasgow, Scotland, in late 2019. It was released on 16 October 2020 through RVNG Intl. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the album goes to Down's Syndrome Scotland. Music videos were released for "Butoh Baby", "Honey", and "Soaring X".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic84/100
Review scores
SourceRating
Beats Per Minute80%
Loud and Quiet8/10
Pitchfork8.0/10

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Skins n Slime received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 from 4 critic scores.

Luke Cartledge of Loud and Quiet stated, "with conventional percussion largely shunned, and pulsating, processed beams of strings suggesting rather than insisting on meter, the record at once feels more liberated and more oppressive than anything he's done before." He added, "The skippy delicacy of much of Oliver Coates' previous work is traded in for an amorphous weight, disorientating and harsh, yet not without nuance." Jazz Monroe of Pitchfork wrote, "Coates takes almost sadistic pleasure in contorting, abrading, vaporizing, ensliming, and otherwise transmogrifying the instrument he has played since childhood."

Accolades

Year-end lists for Skins n Slime
Publication List Rank Ref.
Bandcamp Daily Best of 2020: It Got Heavy
—
The Wire Releases of the Year (2020 Rewind)
37

Track listing

All tracks are written by Oliver Coates, except "Soaring X" by Coates and Malibu.

Skins n Slime track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Caregiver Part 1" (Breathing)4:50
2."Caregiver Part 2" (4AM)5:39
3."Caregiver Part 3" (Slorki)1:47
4."Caregiver Part 4" (Spirit)3:37
5."Caregiver Part 5" (Money)5:03
6."Philomela Mutation" (from The Bird Game soundtrack)2:25
7."Butoh Baby"3:16
8."Reunification 2018"4:43
9."Still Life"3:05
10."Honey"6:09
11."Soaring X" (featuring Malibu)3:30
Total length:44:09

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

References

  1. ↑ Gordon, Arielle (30 October 2020). "The Best Ambient Music on Bandcamp: October 2020". Bandcamp Daily. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Skins 'N Slime by Oliver Coates". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 24 May 2026. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  3. ↑ Simpson, Paul. "Oliver Coates". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  4. ↑ Hussey, Allison (18 August 2020). "Oliver Coates Announces New Album skins n slime, Shares New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  5. ↑ Kenneally, Cerys (18 August 2020). "Radiohead collaborator Oliver Coates announces new LP with lead single "Butoh baby"". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 7 August 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  6. ↑ H, Rob (18 August 2020). "Oliver Coates reveals new album with the gorgeous cello drone "Butoh baby"". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  7. ↑ Eede, Christian (18 August 2020). "Oliver Coates Details New Album, 'Skins N Slime'". The Quietus. Archived from the original on 23 September 2025. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  8. ↑ Hussey, Allison; Bloom, Madison (16 October 2020). "7 New Albums You Should Listen to Now: The National's Matt Berninger, Kevin Morby, Autechre, and More". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  9. ↑ RVNG Intl. (18 August 2020). "Oliver Coates - Butoh baby". YouTube. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  10. ↑ RVNG Intl. (16 September 2020). "Oliver Coates - Honey". YouTube. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  11. ↑ RVNG Intl. (16 October 2020). "Oliver Coates - Soaring X (feat. Malibu)". YouTube. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  12. ↑ Hakimian, Rob (21 October 2020). "Album Review: Oliver Coates – skins n slime". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on 8 September 2025. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 Cartledge, Luke (12 October 2020). "Oliver Coates - skins n slime". Loud and Quiet. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  14. 1 2 Monroe, Jazz (20 October 2020). "Oliver Coates: skins n slime". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  15. ↑ "Best of 2020: It Got Heavy". Bandcamp Daily. 15 December 2020. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  16. ↑ "Releases of the Year". The Wire. No. 443. January 2021. pp. 34–43.
  17. ↑ "skins n slime | Oliver Coates". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  18. ↑ Oliver Coates (2020). Skins n Slime (vinyl liner notes). RVNG Intl.

Further reading