Album Review: "Everybody Scream" - Florence + The Machine
- Cheyenne Johnson
- 8 minutes ago
- 3 min read
A long-awaited project, Florence + The Machine are back with their sixth studio album, Everybody Scream. The album was announced on August 19th alongside the lead single and titular track, building much-deserved hype around another mystical and enjoyable entry to the UK group's impressive catalog. Coming three years after their last album, Dance Fever, Everybody Scream came just in time for Halloween this year with Florence + The Machine leaning into themes of witchcraft, mysticism, folk horror, and insanity.
TRACK LIST:
1. Everybody Scream
2. One of the Greats
3. Witch Dance
4. Sympathy Magic
5. Perfume and Milk
6. Buckle
7. Kraken
8. The Old Religion
9. Drink Deep
10. Music by Men
11. You Can Have It All
12. And Love
Known across the world for explosive live shows, their iconic baroque-pop sound, and Florence Welch's instantly recognizable powerhouse vocals, Florence + The Machine have rightly become a monumental artist since their 2007 formation. The indie group prides themselves on their dramatic, eccentric productions, combining a plethora of genres ranging from indie rock to chamber pop to neo soul. Florence + The Machine have won countless awards and achieved several number one albums with Everybody Scream joining that list as it debuted at no. 1 on the UK charts.
Lyrically and sonically, Florence Welch shows us what it's like to crawl through Hell and come out broken and bruised on the other side. Many of the tracks on Everybody Scream are pain and suffering incarnate, exploring some of the darkest experiences the artist has been through. The album came to be after Welch experienced an ectopic pregnancy, leading the powerful vocalist to channel the agony of that experience into song. Songs like "Everybody Scream," "Witch Dance," "Perfume and Milk," and "Drink Deep" embrace haunting and gothic soundscapes that show Florence + The Machine's flair for the dramatic while painting a picture of catharsis. The album's titular track reflects this the best, giving fans a fiery, aggressive anthem to exorcise and purge all negative emotions through getting loud and fighting back at the universe.
Expanding on the sonic and lyrical ideas presented in the band's most recent works, Florence + The Machine continue to abandon the commercial pop leaning melodies of albums Lungs and Ceremonials while focusing on the poetic lyricism reminiscent of Dance Fever and High As Hope. Songs like "One of the Greats" and "Music by Men" seem to critique the male-dominated music industry, expressing the frustration of how women are held to different standards than their male counterparts when achieving commercial success.
Occasionally mourning the person she was and the person she's become, Florence Welch tackles the weariness she's felt in recent years with a handful of evocative, atmospheric ballads on Everybody Scream. Songs like "Sympathy Magic," "Buckle," "Kraken," and "The Old Religion" are prime examples of this, exploring the tender side of the album through folk-driven soundscapes and raw, vulnerable lyrics. "Sympathy Magic" stands out as one of the best tracks on Everybody Scream, taking Welch's heartfelt musings of existential dread and drawing inspiration from Florence + The Machine's earlier breakthrough hit, "Dog Days Are Over" to create a boisterous power ballad that feels like pure release.
Wrapping the album up, "You Can Have It All" and "And Love" reach the climax of Everybody Scream, giving one last glimpse toward grief and inner turmoil before finding acceptance. "You Can Have It All" is the gloomier of the two tracks, giving us another taste of the intense symphonic sound we have grown to know and love from Florence + The Machine. The track features large choruses and rich orchestral instrumentals to drive home the severity of the emotions Welch has been experiencing, serving as one last frustrated cry before reaching the album's final entry, "And Love." The album ends on an uncertain note but shows Welch settling into an uneasy peace as she closes this chapter of her life.
An emotional and devastating journey, Florence + The Machine show us that even the saddest horrors of life can be made beautiful through music. Florence Welch transcends her previous work with the band on this project, laying her soul bare as she pours her heart out and tells her deeply personal pain and experiences. Though Everybody Scream is overwhelmingly haunting and poignant, Florence + The Machine leave us with the hope that someday all wounds will heal, even if that process takes a little longer than we'd like.
Written By Cheyenne Johnson
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