Music Video Director Quentin Deronzier Picks 10 Dynamic Album Covers

Flume, FKA Twigs, Post Malone and more

Over the years, I feel like music has turned into a data-driven machine, where every move feels a little too calculated, too anticipated—all in the name of efficiency and minimum risk. As a director working in music videos, I see it with every new brief that lands in my inbox. We’ve somehow forgotten that risk is the heart and soul of creativity—that being bold is what gave birth to the legendary tracks and albums we cherish. 

In this era of meticulously planned releases, the one medium that still feels like a true artistic playground is cover art. It’s a space where artists can push boundaries, play with wild ideas, explore new concepts and express themselves freely. They can take a chance on an unknown painter from halfway around the world or a CGI wizard still living with his mom, cooking up strange, unique styles. And I’m here for it.

Album covers hold a special place in my heart, as I used to design them before my directing career started. Such artwork is the first taste you get of the music—a portal to something unknown. It’s all about the anticipation, the excitement of decoding what’s hidden in those visuals. What’s it about? What themes are lurking beneath the surface? It’s an art form that dares to surprise.

Woodkid

The Golden Age (2013)

I used to look up to Woodkid (Yohan Lemoine) while studying—we have a similar journey and come from the same corner of France. He is now this multidisciplinary artist who tackles his albums in their entirety. He writes the music, directs the videos and designs the album covers. This one resonates with me. It is crafted in 3D and photogrammetry and captures a relic of his past—a digital reconstruction of a memory that’s both blurry and painful, like trying to grasp something that slips through your fingers no matter how hard you hold on.

Tame Impala

Currents (2015)

Designed by Robert Beatty, a masterclass in psychedelic art. It’s a symbolic representation of a flow interrupted by a disruptor—a collision of the linear and the organic, inspired by turbulence, the way liquid or air moves around obstacles. And that eye feels like someone’s soul staring back at you. 

FKA Twigs

M3LL155X (2015)

How can you make a top 10 cover art list without mentioning FKA? Her art for this EP was mindbending in 2015. It introduced me to the work of Matthew Stone, the artist behind this striking piece.

Flume

Hi This Is Flume (2019)

A standout. Flume dropped this mixtape with a new experiential vibe, breaking away from his previous style. For the cover, his longtime collaborator Jonathan Zawada—one of my heroes—also took a fresh approach, crafting something totally unexpected. They ended up making this car the centerpiece of their entire campaign (like in this 42-minute visualizer madness).

The xx

Co-exist (2012)

Minimalist yet powerful, this cover perfectly captures the essence of The xx’s stripped-down sound—where only what truly matters remains, and everything else fades away. Photographer Davy Evans crafted the piece by experimenting with water, oils and light, creating mesmerizing iridescent textures.

Post Malone

Beerbongs & Bentleys (vinyl version) (2018)

As brutal as it is cool, this cover cleverly plays on Post’s iconic barbed-wire face tattoo. Designed by the one and only Bryan Rivera.

L’Affaire Louis’ Trio

Chic Planète (1987)

My very first memory of cover art. My parents would play this on repeat around the house, and it became a core part of my childhood. As I got older, I realized it was about a planet where everyone’s dancing around naked.

M.I.A.

MAYA (2010)

M.I.A.’s edgy, fearless attitude made her an icon and an inspiration. This cover—especially when you consider its 2010 context, right as the content explosion was beginning to saturate everything—was pure vision.

Eels

Electro-Shock Blues (1998)

Growing up, I listened to a lot of Eels. This album touched me not only for its musical qualities but for its tragic backstory. When he wrote it, he’d just lost his entire family. It’s an intensely melancholic record, and the cover, with its almost childlike style, captures that raw vulnerability.

Phoenix

Bankrupt! (2013)

Pop art, vibrant, and bursting with color; it practically dares you to take a sip of it. Designed by Pascal Teixeira, who also brings his creative genius to the direction of Justice and other iconic projects.