Florence + the Machine are an art/chamber pop & indie rock band from London, England, United Kingdom, consisting of drummer Loren Humphrey, violinist/rhythm guitarist Dionne Douglas, percussionist/keyboardist Aku Orraca-Tetteh, bassist Cyrus Bayandor, harpist/percussionist Tom Monger, lead guitarist Robert Ackroyd & frontwoman Florence Welch. Making their debut in the summer of 2009 under Island Records with Lungs, their sophomore effort Ceremonials during my freshman year of high school & their final Island offering How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful shortly after my graduation would both receive similar praise as did their Republic Records debut High as Hope. It’s already been over 3 years since Dance Fever & they’re celebrating the 14 year anniversary of Ceremonials with their 6th album.

The title track gives us a taste of what’s to come from the artsy, gothic & glam rock instrumentation asking how can she retire when people are shouting for her name whereas the 2nd single “1 of the Greats” blends art rock, alternative rock, gothic rock, singer/songwriter & post-punk sings about a 2023 near-death experience she had. “Witch Dance” works in some haunting choir vocals in the background using sex as a metaphor for her almost losing her life while the final single “Sympathy Magic” sings about the costs of fame pulling from art pop, indie rock & art rock.

“Perfume & Milk” leans heavier towards a singer/songwriter direction stylistically referring to the natural process of growing & returning to Earth just before the folkier “Buckle” finishes the first half of Everybody Scream with Florence singing about carrying the weight of memory & the beauty of moving on. “Kraken” begins the 2nd act with an indie/rock crossover searching for meaning while “The Old Religion” sings about the feeling of animal instinct starting up from within herself wounded so tightly to the point that she can hardly breath.

Starting the final leg, “Drink Deep” finds herself seeking the hidden folk through bramble & briar under ash & oak nightly realizing she drank of herself while “Music by Men” sings about her knowing how to fall in love because she does it constantly with everyone she meet for 10 seconds. “You Can Have It All” embraces an art pop vibe again admitting that she was wrong about her perception of sadness her whole entire life until these past couple years while “& Love” finishes by optimistically singing that peace is coming.

Returning to the spellbinding world-building that has defined Florence Welch’s entire creative universe, Everybody Scream channels her fascination with mysticism & folk horror in the wake of a life-changing surgery she had to undergo during the Dance Fever tour when she suffered a miscarriage. It’s more singer/songwriter & art rock oriented than what’s she’s done previously, getting more than that previous LP with secondary influences of art pop, alternative rock, gothic rock, post-punk & glam rock seeping through.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!