Stephen Dawes – Skin to Skin

Sometimes TikTok does have something going for it. Among all the things the algorithm serves up, Stephen Dawes appeared in my feed one day. I stopped scrolling because I immediately thought: this sounds a little different. Not completely new, but not like the next song you feel you have already heard a hundred times either.

“Skin to Skin” was released on 26 June 2026 and is his third album. What I particularly like about it is that it sounds a little different. Not because Dawes reinvents music, but because you can never be quite sure where a song will go. A ballad does not necessarily stay a ballad. Suddenly the tempo or rhythm changes, a guitar joins in, things turn rocky, then electronic or very quiet again. Yet none of it feels cobbled together.

From a chance discovery to a sound of his own

Dawes is 23. He was born in Manhattan, grew up partly in California and later studied at NYU. His career began almost by chance: for a class, he was asked to reinterpret Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream”. He turned it into a slow, very stripped-back version, posted it on TikTok and the recording took off. A college assignment became millions of views and eventually a record deal.

The story could have followed a fairly conventional path from there. It did not. Dawes stepped away from the major-label system and now works independently. He writes, plays guitar, programs and produces much of his music himself. He does not do everything alone, working with other musicians and songwriters on individual songs, but the musical signature is very clearly his own.

The freedom to try things out

Perhaps that explains the freedom I hear on Skin to Skin. Dawes has said that, after many collaborative writing sessions, he eventually wanted to write on his own again. Because when nobody is sitting beside you telling you an idea is too crazy, you simply try it.

“Hurt Me Better” is a lovely example. The song was originally conceived as a much more pronounced rock number in the style of Arctic Monkeys. While working on it, Dawes realised that the album was moving in a more electronic direction, so he reworked the song. That willingness to experiment runs through the record. Alongside Arctic Monkeys, he names Wilco, The Flaming Lips and Joji among his influences. You can hear that rather unusual mix.

Closeness and its complicated sides

Skin to Skin is mainly about closeness and everything that makes it complicated: falling in love, desire, insecurity, loneliness, fear of loss and how much of yourself you reveal when you really let another person in. Dawes has previously written about characters from books or films. Here, things become much more personal.

One of my favourites is “Reputation”. At heart, it is a rather vulnerable relationship story, but Dawes does not turn it into a yearning piano ballad. The song starts moving, grows bigger and pulls back again. That is exactly what I like about this record: ballads are allowed to rock, rock can suddenly become quiet, and pop does not have to follow a formula.

Skin to Skin has just ten songs and lasts barely half an hour. Perhaps that is another of its strengths: no unnecessary filler, just a record that quickly creates a world of its own.

Stephen Dawes is certainly not yet a name everyone knows. For me, he was a chance discovery on TikTok. But discoveries like this are exactly why I have my album of the week.

What stays with me

A record that deserves some time

Give it a listen, and do not make up your mind after the first song or a few seconds. For me, the appeal of this record lies precisely in its different sides.