Bristling with incendiary punk attitude and shimmering, scalpel-sharp songs, Fake Chemical State is Skin’s second solo album. ‘It’s very bright, alive, awake and dirty,’ she declares.Where 2003’s Fleshwounds was bruised, blue and sparse, this one is about a glorious sense of survival. ‘It’s very joyous, more outward: like a stroppy little girl with brains demanding attention.’

Written throughout the past year, this is a very personal, defiant record - combining soul-searching savagery with tongue-in-cheek wordplay, driving beats with fluid melodies. It was recorded with Strokes producer Gordon Raphael and herself, and a band featuring guitarist Elliot King and Ben Christophers on keyboards/guitar. Bass is provided by John Blackburn and Wayne Riches on drums. The entire album has been mixed by Alan Moulder and mastered by Ted Jenson. The first release is the download-only single Alone In My Room (out on November 14th), a driving, two-minute snarl that Skin describes as ‘a spiteful song that’s about the naughty little character I have inside of me.’ The swirling, solitary song Nothing But, Was written by Skin and produced by Linda Perry; the raunchy Take Me On, was recorded with Italian underground band Marlena Kuntz, and Movin’, a track that sounds like acid choirgirl meets anthemic punk.  

For Skin, this record is all about moving on. This Brixton-born icon has never been afraid to change, navigating her own way through the rock world. In the mid- ‘90s when black women were channelled into soul and dance music, she dived headlong into heavy rock. She was the frontwoman of Skunk Anansie, one of the biggest UK rock bands of the ‘90s, selling over 4 million in Europe. From when they first emerged in 1995 with the chilling songs Little Baby Swastika and Selling Jesus, Skunk transfixed audiences worldwide. Their trademark sound of dark, funky beats, guitar overload and Skin’s sublime vocals was laced through three hit albums: 1995’s Paranoid And Sunburnt, Stoosh (1996), and Post-Orgasmic Chill, which came out in 1999, the same year they headlined Glastonbury. Singles like Charlie Big Potato, Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good) and Weak As I Am became live national anthems.

Like a bright meteorite that burns itself out, the group disbanded in 2000. Skin veered off into a totally new direction, writing the slow-burning, introspective Fleshwounds for her solo debut. That album spawned devastating singles like Trashed and Faithless. Now, two years later, she is re-emerging with a new record deal on V2 and a fresh start.  

Fake Chemical State is raw and demanding. ‘During the making of this record, I was DJaying, getting my face out there, going to clubs, seeing bands.’ She’s been listening to new bands like Bloc Party, Clor, White Teeth and the Noisettes. And she’s also appeared at two Fashion Rocks events, representing Gucci and Alexander McQueen for the Princes Trust Charity.

To complement the anarchic energy of the record, Skin is returning to her roots with an intimate 16 date tour of small clubs in the UK, a prelude to the album release and a tour of larger venues early next year. Fake Chemical State combines a spontaneous garage feel with Skin’s soaring, soulful vocals. ‘It’s time we got away from artificial pop, all that perfect skin,’ she laughs, ‘This is about putting the acne and blackheads back into pop - bringing back the spiky stuff, slapping some arses.’

Nestling in amongst the raunchier tracks, though, are moments of heartfelt, poignant beauty - like the haunting song Purple, and the languid Falling for you. Skin proves that she can still write those searing, compelling downtempo songs. ‘This is an album with a certain swagger in the hips’, she says. ‘It’s the accumulation of everything I’ve learned. I find myself saying cliched words like “it’s the best thing I’ve ever done”, and meaning it.’ A welcome return indeed.

A welcome return indeed.