Florence + the Machine Is Back
Image Courtesy: Republic Records
Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine is undeniably the queen of haunting rock ballads and deliciously, beautifully uncomfortable lyrics that deliver a hit straight to the core. Even those who aren’t avid listeners or die-hard fans are intimately familiar with the songs Dog Days Are Over and Shake It Out—and if you by some chance aren’t, you’re missing out.
It’s been four years of nothing but radio silence from Florence + the Machine; their last album debuted in mid-2018 with the release of High as Hope and its subsequent tour. However, on February 22, 2022, Florence posted a picture on her personal Instagram of herself shot by Autumn de Wilde, her cryptic caption simply reading “Did you miss me…”.
Image Courtesy: Strike Tallahassee
King and its eerie music video (also directed by the aforementioned Autumn de Wilde) were dropped on February 23, 2022. The song mirrors much of Florence’s discography, embodying a foreboding sense of dread, lyricizing what it means to be a woman of today. This, though, is often married with the unique joy and beauty of being a woman all at the same time.
King is no exception, with lyrics like “I am no mother, I am no bride, I am King” which explores the nuances of womanhood, the pressures of domesticity, and the duality of identity as both a woman and a person, respectively. King is often a title reserved for men, and while Florence underlines that she is no man, that distinction won’t hold her back from this title, or any others.
Florence + the Machine aren’t holding back with their new music; yet another new song, Heaven Is Here, dropped on March 7, 2022, leaving not even two weeks in between releases. She’s truly giving the fans what they’ve been yearning for over the past four, Florence-less years (barring that one single from the Cruella soundtrack).
Heaven Is Here is yet another absolute powerhouse of a sound. When discussing her inspirations and creative process behind this second single, Welch confessed to NME that she “wanted to make something monstrous. And this clamor of joy, fury, and grief was the first thing that came out.”
Monstrous, as the first descriptor for a song, may not necessarily sound promising, but I feel it encapsulates the theme Florence Welch has been aiming toward since her first album, Lungs, in 2009. Being alive is a bit monstrous, and we all have a bit of chaos lurking beneath; such is the nature of being human, I think.
Image Courtesy: Genius Lyrics
Florence + the Machine’s fifth studio album to date, titled Dance Fever, was also recently announced for release on May 13, 2022. For now, though, we only have the two singles, with fans eagerly awaiting more. In the meantime, the band has announced they will be returning to live performances at a series of music festivals in Europe (Norway, Spain, and Finland, to name a few), where it’s more than likely new music will pop up, as well.
Strike Out,
Writer: Gillian Bennett
Editor: Noelle Knowlton
Graphic Designer: Alison MacCloud
Tallahassee