"The light waves and sunshines were sharing the day. And passing time recalling the calm before the blue was born." The first words from the first song "Before The Blue" on American Skin, Charles Duke uses the vehicle of music and language to humanize the emerging social justice movement within the United States of America around themes of #BlackLivesMatter and #SayHerName. Marking synth-laden, 80s pop with poignant lyricism on themes of education and pop culture in songs like "Spider," and contrasting with Motown-esque bass lines and soulful vocals in "Four Black Men," American Skin presents an in depth looks at the reality of American society and a marginalized minority through a human lens. It questions and rebukes the role of mainstream media in songs like "Shame" for mislabeling and abuse of journalistic privilege. It parodies and shines a spotlight on issues of police brutality and justice in the sensual "Stop and Frisk." Central to the theme and tone of American Skin is its first single "Everybody Wants To Feel Loved," a piece written to capture the universal truth shared among all people regardless of skin color or nationality. American Skin, from album art to content, asks "What does it look like to be an American?" while challenging us all to consider the broader question: What does it look like to be a human being?