High As Hope
“Before, I thought I ran on a chaos engine,” Florence Welch told the *Guardian* in June 2018, shortly ahead of the release of *High as Hope*. “But the more peaceful I am, the more I can give to the work. I can address things I wasn’t capable of doing before.” This newfound openness gives her band’s fourth LP an unvarnished vulnerability. “Hunger” will sit proudly among her most personal and beautiful songs, while “South London Forever” and “Grace” both make peace with the excesses that decorated her rise to fame. Such lyrical heft affords the Londoners a chance to explore a more delicate, restrained sound, but there’s still space for Welch to blow the roof off. A fiery confessional that majestically takes to the skies and forms the album’s centerpiece, “100 Years” uncorks some vintage Florence. No one, we’re reminded, chronicles sadness quite so exquisitely, or explosively.
Another relatively stripped-down album featuring the titanic voice of Florence Welch is troubled by its overwhelmingly beige production.
Florence + The Machine open up old wounds (and stick to old sounds) on High As Hope, while both Gorillaz’s The Now Now and what should be Teyana Taylor’s breakout moment, K.T.S.E., feel unfocused and undercooked. These, plus Panic At The Disco, Jim James, and Dirty Beaches’ Alex Zhang Hungtai in this week’s notable…
It’s not that Welch isn’t scared any more; it’s that she’s made her peace with that, and in turn one of her strongest records to date.
The NME review of Florence + The Machine's fourth album 'High As Hope' - free of much of the bombast and bluster of her past work
A new level of vulnerability from Florence Welch and deft, atmospheric production from Emile Haynie (Lana Del Rey) makes High As Hope another album of cathedral-filling, mountain-moving sound, with Welch’s vocals the main source of power.
On High As Hope, the fourth and most intimate Florence + the Machine LP, she recalls hijinks on MDMA, confesses to an eating disorder, and apologizes for ruining your birthday.
An album that takes solace in those closest to her, works to right previous wrongs, and sees her come out the other side a whole lot stronger.
Florence Welch looks back on her youth with a mix of fondness and regret, and takes as stripped-back an approach as seems possible
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Florence Welch is raw and unbridled on High As Hope, her first record since 2015's How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. Lead single "Hunger" pr...
On her fourth album, and first, perhaps, as an international superstar, Florence Welch has decided to strip things back to their essentials.
Florence + The Machine are a band with a certain identity, often typecast alongside imagery of nature and the mystique; perhaps it’s something about
Her elemental themes and gale-force delivery remain but Florence Welch now seems to be settling for a little calm
The album eschews guitar rock-oriented maximalism and soaring catharsis in favor of quieter orchestral moments.
Florence+The Machine gets personal and focused on 'High As Hope' while not always reaching the same majesty and wonder of her earlier work.
Florence Welch’s fourth album is most powerful when focused on the small, telling details of encroaching adulthood
Florence and the Machine - High as Hope review: Don't judge this album by its cover or its singles. Florence Welch has crafted quite the grower; a subtly beautiful piece that opens up a new door for the future of the band.
Florence Welch's wonderful fourth album marks the realisation of a singular talent.
Florence Welch takes stock and reflects on family relationships. CD New Music review by Guy Oddy