Hot Take – Florence and the Machine’s ‘High As Hope’
Cat Martin
Chamber-pop icon Florence Welch (and her accompanying band) released their fourth studio album in late June of this year, which debuted at number two on both the UK Albums and Billboard 200 charts respectively. On ‘High As Hope’, Florence’s lyricism is more introspective and specific than it’s ever been. The growth in more nuanced song writing is noticeable from the offset because the album begins with the subversive lyric “the show is ending.” There are more notable blues influences on more than a few of the tracks alongside the grandiose orchestral instrumentation that we have come to expect from her.
The lead single ‘Hunger’ is one of my favourite cuts, with Florence’s charismatic vocals hitting home right from the start as she sings, “at 17 I started to starve myself, I thought that love was a kind of emptiness.” This showcases somewhat of a thematic departure in this album compared to Florence’s previous releases. The groove in this track is undeniable, making it the best choice for the lead single preceding the album release. It has a plucked string melody in the background that embellishes the song exquisitely and is certainly a notable achievement within Florence’s discography so far.
Another standout track is ‘No Choir’, which closes the record. It is the most self-aware song on the entire album, explaining the melancholic mood sustained through more than a few cuts. ‘No Choir’ runs shorter than the standard radio-friendly song, as it is only two and a half minutes long. Despite this, it still feels perfectly finished by the end of that time. The slow piano chords playing with Florence’s haunting vocal melody evokes a certain bittersweet acceptance that because loneliness is much easier to write about, it often takes the forefront in leu of cherished memories.
The first hitch with this album is that it can drag at certain points, starting lacklustre and dipping in the latter half as well. Although Florence is well-known for her beautifully sombre ballads (Never Let Me Go, Cosmic Love), sometimes they can be hit-or-miss regarding tone and emotional impact. This is most obvious in the track ‘South London Forever’– which is intended to be a nod to Florence’s earlier years and her good memories from them. The vocal melody seems thin and uninspiring in the first verse and although the rhythm does pick up in the chorus, it still lacks in momentum. Particularly in ‘South London Forever’, although also present for a few other moments in the record, it is easy to feel like Florence is playing it safe. The instrumentation is rich and layered in a way that becomes almost sickly, making it difficult to listen through the ten-track record without breaks.
‘High As Hope’ is by no means a bad album, in fact I would fully recommend giving it a listen for yourself if you are a fan of her previous releases. While the record is pleasant on the ears, it is also a sound we are all familiar with and I wish that Florence had thought to experiment a little more with her variety of influences. Regardless, there’s always a place in my heart and my record shelf for Florence and The Machine.
