Beautiful Skin were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...

band extant from 1997 until their 2001 split. Despite never achieving real mainstream or commercial success, they are regarded by some as a trailblazer for the

post-punk revival Post-punk revival (also known as garage rock revival,J. Stuessy and S. D. Lipscomb, ''Rock and roll: its History and Stylistic Development'' (London: Pearson Prentice Hall, 5th edn., 2006), , p. 451. new wave revival,. and new rock revolution) is ...

History

Beautiful Skin consisted of guitarist Nick Forte and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian keyboardist Ross Totino. Totino had played with many bands in Brazil in the 1980s, playing covers of bands like

Wire Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm A wire is a flexible strand of metal. Wire is co ...

and

The Cure The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...

at talent shows and parties, while Forte had been a member of U.S.

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

band

Rorschach Rorschach may refer to: * Hermann Rorschach, a Swiss psychiatrist ** Rorschach test, his psychological evaluation method involving inkblots * Rorschach (character), a character from the comics ''Watchmen'' * Rorschach (comic book), a 2020 comic * ...

. The two met while working at an electronics factory in New York; Forte was at the time playing in the band Computer Cougar, who released a single and a posthumous LP on the label

Gern Blandsten Gern Blandsten Records is an independent record label based in Paramus, New Jersey. The label's acts have included The World/Inferno Friendship Society The World/Inferno Friendship Society (also referred to as World Inferno, or Inferno) was a ...

. Soon the pair were experimenting together, combining their respective influences into a sound reminiscent of the post-punk of

and

as well as the experimental electronic of

Suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

and

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic band formed in Wirral, Merseyside, in 1978. The group consists of co-founders Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals), along with Martin ...

and the

krautrock Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in West Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electronic music, a ...

of Can and

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize t ...

. Their debut single, "Sex is a Triangle for the Perfect Square" was followed up by the critically acclaimed ''Revolve'', their debut LP released on

Gold Standard Laboratories Gold Standard Laboratories or GSL was an independent record label which was founded in 1993 in Boulder, Colorado by Sonny Kay. In 2000, it was relocated to San Diego, California, United States, and two years later, to Los Angeles. It was headqu ...

(GSL). With the addition of Mitch Rackin on bass and Charles Burst on drums, Beautiful Skin toured the west coast in the winter of 2000/2001, supporting labelmates such as

The Locust The Locust was an American hardcore punk band from San Diego, California, known for their mix of grindcore aggression and new wave experimentation. The band has been noted for their use of insect costumes when performing live. History Prio ...

, Le Shok, and

De Facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with '' de jure'' ("by l ...

, and split soon after. Various unreleased recordings from the duo and four-piece eras were issued as ''Everything, All This and More'' on GSL in 2005. Totino currently lives in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

, now recording under the name Fans of Collision. Forte also continues to write and record, and produces remixes under various names. Rackin has since played with the bands Dirty Rainbow and Heavy Hands. Burst is a member of The Occasion and also performs with Mike Wexler.

Members

* Nick Forte - Vocals/Guitar (1997–2001) * Ross Totino - Keyboards (1997–2001) * Charles Burst - Drums (2000–2001) * Mitch Rackin - Bass (2000–2001)

Discography

Singles

* "Sex is a Triangle for the Perfect Square/Work Will Set You Free" - 2000

LPs

* ''Revolve'' - 2000 * ''Everything, All This and More'' - 2005

References

External links

Beautiful Skin on Myspace

Gold Standard Laboratories
{{Authority control Musical groups from New York (state) American post-punk music groups Musical groups established in 1997