Florence has reached a new level of vulnerability through her songwriting on Florence and the
Machine’s fourth studio album, High as Hope. The album was released in 2018, 3 years after the
release of How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, a powerful, booming album filled with songs like
“Delilah” and “What Kind of Man” that seem to be made for an arena. High as Hope is a much
more personal album with stripped vocals and charming piano ballads.
The lyrics truly make this album a standout piece for Florence and the Machine. Listening to this
album makes the listener feel as if they’re reading Florence’s diary. In particular, the track
“Grace” discusses Florence’s relationship with her younger sister. Florence opens up about how
her struggle with alcohol and drugs has impacted their relationship. Specifically, Florence apologizes to
her sister for being under the influence at her birthday, “Grace, I don’t say it enough / Grace, you
are so loved / I’m sorry I ruined your birthday, you had turned 18 / And the sunshine hit me and I
was behaving strangely.”
Another stand out track on the album is “South London Forever,” a wistful tribute to Florence’s
teenage years. It’s hard to not imagine yourself running around the streets of London with friends
when listening. It’s a rather simple track musically, but nevertheless, one worth listening to for
its overflowing sense of nostalgia.
Another stand out track on the album is “South London Forever,” a wistful tribute to Florence’s
teenage years. It’s hard to not imagine yourself running around the streets of London with friends
when listening. It’s a rather simple track musically, but nevertheless, one worth listening to for
its overflowing sense of nostalgia.
The album closes with “No Choir,” a more mellow, vocally stripped track. The track opens with,
“And it’s hard to write about being happy / ‘Cause, the older I get / I find that happiness is an
extremely uneventful subject.” Florence recognizes how much easier it is to write about her
burdens and struggles, painfully aware of how she has taken the listener through an extensive
journey through her past in the following 9 tracks. The raw vocals, endearing piano, and
vulnerable lyrics make this track the perfect closing.
High as Hope is a confessional album, the simple music allows for this to feel like a much more
personal album. It might not match the grandness of Ceremonials or Lungs, nor the energy of
How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, but perhaps that’s the beauty of it.
