Florence + The Machine’s new releases are a welcome return of Florence Welch’s distinctive style. The nods to gothic, art deco and decadence, as well as pure primal emotion and compassion for her past self, are all part of the artist’s fabric. Easter eggs from the previous four albums have found their way into the new music and videos. Taking a new step forward by collaborating with director Autumn de Wilde doesn’t mean a huge leap away from the previous stylistic choices that have made Florence so unique. Instead, her past has informed her present.
With the release of ‘Dance Fever’ in May, it seems fitting to look back at the project’s discography. What elements of each have reared their beautiful heads once again to inform what could be the most explosive album yet from Florence + the Machine?
‘Lungs’, ‘Ceremonials’, ‘How Big How Blue How Beautiful’, and ‘High As Hope’ are as distinctive as each other yet they are interwoven with the true essence of Florence Welch. She’s condensed her life into more than just poetic lyrics with roarous melodies. Each era has seen another aspect of Welsh’s expression flourish. Emerging from a wave of British indie, the London project had the world wrapped around their little finger as ‘Dog Days Are Over’ reigned as the hit song of 2009. Armed with a powerful set of lungs, Florence led the machine to chart topping success with their sophomore album ‘Ceremonials’. With each album since, their songs have become more grandiose and personal; solidifying Florence’s place as a legendary musician.
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Four years after the release of ‘High As Hope’, we learned that the brief for ‘Dance Fever’ was “Nick Cave at the club”. Florence had been cooking up something special in the studio and from the first sneak peak, previous influences were already poking through. Lungs’ pre-Raphaelite theme burst through the album artwork as well as the accompanying playing card singles. Reverting back to the extravagant costuming, the floral arrangements and royal gowns are screaming Paul Waterhouse. A more fresh faced Florence starred in her own decadent fantasy in the ‘Rabbit Heart’ music video. A last supper of fruit with members of the court, it seems she is now ruling the land not as the queen but as king (of course, she’s adorning a crown for ‘Dream Girl Evil’).
Falling in love with choreography, dance has become an essential part of Florence’s performance. Let alone was she inscribing her work with dance’s influence on her (“now I’m dancing with Delilah and her vision is mine”), it was becoming an inherent part of being on tour. When on the road for ‘How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful’, Florence would perform dance interludes and it seems the tradition will be kept for the upcoming dates. The video of her improvising to IDLES whilst wearing a “Who the fuck is Jack Antonoff?” t-shirt hints that the routines may become more playful.
Surrounded by women and in sync through dance, The ‘King’ music video shows strength in the face of societal expectations. The pro-feminist lyrics hark back to ‘What Kind Of Man’ and the struggle that can come from a relationship. Floating through a derelict office block and sacrificing a lover is very much keeping up the mystical theme that ran through ‘How Big How Blue How Beautiful’. A witch trial in LA was the original idea for the third Florence + The Machine album with bonus track ‘Which Witch’ teasing us of what could have been. Since ‘Dance Fever’ takes inspiration from the dancing plague of 1518, maybe the demonic will get a feature again.
Aesthetically, ‘My Love’ is the cousin of ‘Ceremonials’ lead single ‘Shake It Out’. ‘Ceremonials’ brought with it stained glass designs, ball gowns and an adoration for art deco. Florence embraced grace both visually and sonically. The project’s sophomore album left behind the chaotic nature of ‘Lungs’, with Florence controlling her energy to produce more drama. Orchestral instrumentals and layers upon layers of vocals, Florence emulates the theatrical in ‘My Love’. Firstly, she begins the song with her 26 second long note, beating her previous 15 second long note on ‘No Light No Light’. Her high priestess quality shines through and her dress looks like it comes straight from her 2011 wardrobe of Gucci gowns.
‘Heaven is Here’ borders on spoken word poetry and is fiercely primal, even ritualistic. It resonates with the paired back song structure of ‘Sky Full of Song’ and the wild energy of ‘Big God’. ‘High As Hope’ was another evolution in Florence + the machine’s sound. The grandiosity of ‘Ceremonials’ took a back seat. The metaphors of ‘How Big How Blue How Beautiful’ were replaced by more honest lyrics. Welch’s poetry book ‘Useless Magic’ was released just before ‘High As Hope’ and it highlighted how every song of hers has been a learning experience in how to express true emotion. ‘Heaven Is Here’ grasps you with every line as did Florence + the Machine’s most recent album, hinting of the rapture yet to come.
There are so many connections that show ‘Dance Fever’ to be more than just a new album for Florence + the Machine: ‘King’ contains a self reference to ‘Never Let Me Go’, ‘No Choir’ predicted the emptiness of billboards and buildings in ‘My Love’, ‘Heaven Is Here’ has a nod to water in its lyrics (see Florence’s playlist ‘Water to drink not to write about’). With four albums under her belt and a fifth to be released, Welch is crafting a immersive world of romance and compassion. By feverishly teasing at what’s to come, Florence + The Machine have reminded us of what makes them so fascinating.
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'Dance Fever' will be released on May 13th.
Words: Sophia McDonald
Photo Credit: Autumn de Wilde
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