Indie rock group Florence + The Machine does it again on Everybody Scream. Released on Friday, their sixth studio album is haunting, beautiful and cathartic all at once, with ethereal vocals and enchanting instrumentals.
Three years since their last album Dance Fever,the English band continues to explore themes of performance, release and introspection. While their music has always had a hint of gothic influence, Everybody Scream takes it to a new level.
As usual, lead singer Florence Welch’s vocals are the star of the show, as she displays her wide range and unique sound over billowing instrumentals.
The album begins with the title track, a powerful song about Welch’s relationship with her fans and performing. It opens with harmonized vocalizations that transition into crowd cheers over a steady drum beat.
Welch keeps the energy up as she sings: “Here, I don’t have to be quiet / Here, I don’t have to be kind / Extraordinary and normal all at the same time / But look at me run myself ragged / Blood on the stage / But how can I leave you when you’re screaming my name?”
“Everybody Scream” epitomizes the entire album in one song: an exhilarating celebration of music and its restorative qualities.
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The second track, “One of the Greats,” flaunts Welch’s lyricism, further playing into the album’s macabre, folk-horror undertones, all while scrutinizing sexism in the music industry.
While on tour for Dance Fever, Welch experienced a miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy, and had to undergo emergency surgery.
“One of the Greats” reflects on Welch’s mortality, and, in turn, the pressure to keep performing and maintain a superstar image: “I crawled up from under the earth / Broken nails and coughing dirt / Spitting out my songs so you could sing along, oh / And with each bedraggled breath, I knew I came back from the dead.”
Through its raw portrayal of stardom and unfiltered lyrics, “One of the Greats” stands out as one of the best songs on Everybody Scream.
The album continues into more subdued backing, focusing mostly on Welch’s vocals.
She reflects on her miscarriage on “Sympathy Magic,” as she references anxiety and PTSD symptoms in the aftermath.
On “Buckle,” a simple guitar riff backs lyrics of longing, confusion and remorse. Welch sings, “Falling for anyone awful who tells me I’m pretty / I blocked your number, but you didn’t notice / Oh, God, I thought I was too / Old for this.”
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Welch continues to discuss her fame and performing on “Kraken,” where she uses a kraken as a metaphor for her career. Welch sings, “Creature from the deep, do I haunt you in your sleep? / My tentacles so tender, as I caress your cheek / Did you know how big I would become?”
Like in “Everybody Scream,” “Kraken” represents how powerful and even dangerous Welch feels when she is on stage. Her comparisons to a kraken exhibit her urge to keep performing, even when she needs to rest.
While each song is unique in lyrics and instrumentals, the overall themes are cohesive. When listening to the album in its entirety, Welch’s struggles with womanhood, her relationship with performing and recovery from her miscarriage become apparent in every track.
“And Love,” the simple and breathy closing track of the album, juxtaposes the fiery nature of the rest of the songs with a soft piano ballad. Welch repeats the phrase, “Peace is coming,” a manifestation of her future.
After an album full of pain, heartbreak and chaos, Welch can surrender and find peace.
Aptly released on Halloween, Everybody Scream is a whirlwind of witch-like incantations, eerie instrumentals and, of course, Welch’s signature voice. The album is the rawest and most personal work by Florence + The Machine, solidifying Welch’s status as “one of the greats.”
