Florence + The Machine’s new single ‘Light Of Love’ is a soft, intimate exploration of the human condition that once again establishes lead singer Florence Welch as one of the finest, most compassionate artists of our generation.

Welch may not have the most ubiquitous, up-to-the-minute stage persona, especially compared to the likes of other pop stars in the scene, but if one goes digging into her band’s discography, they would find that the band has some really powerful, dynamic, and transformative works in their vault. They are known for coming up with absolutely euphoric songs, the kinds that are bursting at the seams with intangible, electrifying energy. The arrangements are kept loud and magnetic through a medley of wild and wonderful instruments; from the bass guitar to the church bells to explosive sets of drums, the songs do not shy away from meticulous production touches that will move you to tears. 

However, Florence decided to turn the formula on its head for this particular song. ‘Light Of Love’ will make you wait till you get to its delirious, gospel-heavy section. The majority of the song is buoyed by sharp but gentle piano chords but since Florence’s charming and light voice will make the journey absolutely worthwhile. As is the case with most of the band’s features, the song dives head-first into fairly intense subjects. But at the end of the day, Florence acknowledges the light of hope and goodness that lives within each one of us. At any junction in life, we could be facing challenges and question our existence, and so Florence wants us to know that we can’t go blindly into the dark. It’s an inspirational message but not one that relies on common, cliched advice that we can expect from other artists out there. 

And if you’re someone who adores Florence + The Machine’s ecstatic, almost-spiritual instrumental riffs, you must wait till the last third of the composition. The piano chords get heavier, the vocal overlaps surface and the strings get going to send you into a beautiful, uplifting reverie. The last-minute of the song is an extensive vocal riff that just has a young chorus going off into a coda, repeating the same lines till the end. If that is not a perfect encapsulation of Florence’s pure sound, then we don’t know what is. 

 Indie-rock

Author: Shaoni Das

Shaoni Das is a writer/editor currently based in Edmonton, Canada. She remains eager to inspect how the changing culture of music impacts upon the greater world.