A review of Everybody Scream, by Florence + The Machine. Polydor and Republic Records, 2025.

Seventeen years distant from Lungs and “Dog Days Are Over,” British popstar Florence + The Machine breathes in and out . . . in and out . . .  looking back at her discography—a history—in and of itself, and screams: 

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Florence + The Machine has constantly had her foothold in the culture since her debut album, Lungs. She’s been dubbed the “Queen of collabs” for a reason. Within the past two years, she has collabed with The Weeknd on Hurry Up Tomorrow and with Taylor Swift on THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. She has featured in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Netflix’s Yellowjackets, and she has written original music for Disney’s Cruella (2021) and The Great Gatsby (2012). Florence + The Machine lives in the culture. She has her spot—never irrelevant, never evolving—but she wants out. She wants something new.

On August 20th, 2025, Florence + The Machine shadow dropped “Everybody Scream,” a single which would go on to lend its name to an album which released on October 31st, 2025. Two-and-a-half-years after the release of Dance Fever comes Everybody Scream, the sixth studio album from Florence + The Machine.

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Organ chimes begin the album. An alto chorus joins the organ. The single alto chorus becomes a soprano/alto choir. The two voice parts become three, and they divide into screams; everybody screams as drums kick in and drown out the organ. The voices hold as a solo singer cries over the screams. This continues until the one-minute mark when the screaming resolves into lyrics. “Everybody Scream” is a driving, ragged song that establishes the place of media in the world, Florence + The Machine’s place as media, and re-establishes Florence Welch’s place as Florence + The Machine. In four lines the song introduces audiences to Everybody Scream:

Here I don’t have to be quiet 

/ Here I don’t have to be kind, extraordinary, normal all at the same time 

/ But look at me run myself, ragged, blood on the stage 

/ But how can I leave you when you’re screaming my name

Everybody Scream is in part Florence + The Machine looking at her audience and redefining their relationship. It is also, however, an album about love and the world; there are three major and integral themes ruling this album (Florence + The Machine’s Identity, Love, and the World). 

“One of the Greats,” the second song on Everybody Scream, was released as a single on September 24th, 2025. This is the longest song on the album, coming in at six minutes and thirty two seconds. With a driving electric bass line, “One of the Greats” works to introduce new listeners to Florence + The Machine’s entire career. Driving and driving and begging and begging, this song asks audiences to break down with Florence + The Machine. This is one of the most emotional songs Florence + The Machine has ever released. There is a monotone character built up here that is devastating and beautiful: “You’ll bury me again, you’ll say it’s all pretend / That I could never be great being held up against such male tastes.”

One of Everybody Scream’s greatest strengths is its use of theme to transition between songs.“Witch Dance” follows “One of the Greats” and shifts style of song, however, the shift from theme is easily followed. On the surface, “Witch Dance” is a sensual song about lovemaking, and it is about love, but the subject matter of lovemaking is not the subject of the song, it is, instead, the setting. “Witch Dance” uses Everybody Scream’s greatest strengths: reiterated themes and motifs; there is intense repetition throughout this song that helps to establish the themes and the climactic surprise that comes at the end of this song (and it’s all set to a chorus and harp [so Florence + The Machine!]).

Concluding the first third of Everybody Scream comes “Sympathy Magic,” the third song released as a single (set out on October 27th, 2025 [four days before the official release of Everybody Scream]). This song is the defining climax of the first theme of the album. Florence + The Machine redefines exactly who she is within this song. Everybody Scream is one of the first Florence + The Machine albums to not be driven by harp; Everybody Scream is driven by beating drums and “Sympathy Magic” uses those beating drums to surround Florence + The Machine’s vocals entirely. Florence + The Machine says to her audience in this song: 

So come on, come on, I can take it 

/ Give me everything you’ve got 

/ What else, what else, what else 

/ So come on, come on, I can take it 

/ Give me everything you’ve got 

/ What else, what else, what else.

 She is echoing the sentiment declared in “Everybody Scream” and re-establishing herself as the one and only Florence Welch.

“Perfume and Milk,” “Buckle” and “Kraken” are three incredible songs which draw on Florence + The Machine’s past discography with lines such as “As I fix you in the gaze of my one unblinking eye” (from Kraken), which draws reference to Lungs‘ “Girl With One Eye” (in the form of the Kraken) and “Buckle” which shares the exact same instrumentation and progression as Dance Fever’s “The Bomb.” These three songs are the meat of the album and deserve intense praise. “Kraken” especially stands out as full of heart. 

“The Old Religion.” The way ‘the World’ was. This song will be the most talked about thing to come out of this album – I’ve not yet seen any reviews, but this song is unlike anything else ever done by Florence + The Machine! Voice and piano enter at the same time. Percussion joins soon after. And then, the lyrics that makes this album: “You wonder why we’re hungry for some kind of release.” The song picks up and the beating drums from “Sympathy Magic” enter. Then: “Watch me crawl on hands and knees / And scratch at the door of heaven” and the pounding chorus follows and the drums pick up. A synth enters. The song concludes with two dueling voices, one screaming the chorus and one echoing, “You wonder why we’re hungry for some kind of release.”

Following “The Old Religion” is an elemental undertaking. “Drink Deep” has its work cut out. The drums return. Electric strings enter. This song echoes the madrigals and chambers of old. Full of gore and tilt, this song reunites Florence + The Machine with Ceremonials. Full of bells and tambours, musically this song is everything that “The Old Religion” is not and both songs insult the world that is now, and both songs are some of the strongest offerings shown by Everybody Scream!

If you listen to only one song from Everybody Scream, make it “Music by Men!” This song works to establish itself as the ‘realest’ one on the album. “Music by Men” is the only song on Everybody Scream which bears the “explicit” rating. This song is a companion piece to “One of the Greats” and picks up the themes strung throughout that song. “Music by Men” personifies the man from “One of the Greats” as a toxic lover; this song is about Florence + The Machine’s relationship to the music industry and two lines explain the poem behind this piece: “I fall in love with everyone I meet for ten minutes at least /  Then comes the work, the resentments, and the hurt.”

The last two songs on Everybody Scream are “You Can Have It All” and “And Love.” These songs work to wrap up the two remaining themes: ‘Love’ and ‘the World.’ “You Can Have It All” resembles a classic Lungs-era Florence + The Machine song, however, this song tackles some of the heaviest content laid out in the whole album. One constant vision echoes through this song about grief, cutting through the guitar, strings, bass, and drums: “Dug a hole in the garden and buried a scream / And from it grew a bright red tree / Shining with jagged leaves.” This incredible visceral image remains present in my mind now a week-and-a-half distant from first listening to Everybody Scream. This tree closes out the theme of ‘the World’ present within this album and “And Love” closes out the ‘Love’ theme. “And Love” is very reminiscent of Dance Fever’s more poetic songs (i.e., “King,” and “Cassandra” [surprisingly “My Love” does not apply here]). “And Love” really uses every facet of Florence + The Machine’s voice. There is also a return to the harp that Florence + The Machine is so known for within this song.

Everybody Scream reestablishes Florence + The Machine as a figure in music with the ability to create incredible art, however, it also says something deeply personal. This album does something more than just reestablishing Florence + The Machine’s identity; Everybody Scream remakes Florence + The Machine’s relationship with her audience. From a popstar to something more. Florence + The Machine has always been political, but now she is point-blank addressing the issues which she cares about. In Everybody Scream, Florence + The Machine speaks about love, herself, and the world, and she escapes her past, and marches forth into the future!