Mystic, haunting and rooted in emotion, “Everybody Scream” is a testament to Florence and the Machine’s talent. With over 18 years of experience in music, the band has created a legacy with dramatic production and an otherworldly sound.
Released on Halloween, the entire album is inspired by ancient mythology, healing rituals and the history of witches with songs titled “The Old Religion” and “Kraken.”
Tracks “Witch Dance” and “Drink Deep” reference such mythology in artful storytelling. “Witch Dance” is brimming with anticipation — reflective of the narrator’s running journey through the ancestral plane. “Drink Deep” is layered with metaphoric lyrics about the legends of fairy circles and wine, but it holds a double meaning linked to vocalist Florence Welch’s past struggles with alcohol.
The first song, also titled “Everybody Scream,” is an exemplar of the album. With eerie organ instrumentals and layered vocalizations, the song feels transcendent before transforming into the dense and gritty sound of folk-rock. “Everybody Scream” captures the mental and physical tax of performance and fame.
“Look at me run myself ragged, blood on the stage. But how can I leave you when you’re screaming my name,” Welch sings.
“Sympathy Magic” has a more optimistic tone and fast-paced energy as Welch sings about finding freedom in the loss of innocence.
“So I don’t have to be worthy. I no longer try to be good. It didn’t keep me safe like you told me it would,” Welch sings.
Halloween is significant to Welch because of its origins, particularly the belief that the veil between life and death is at its thinnest.
Welch has personally encountered the balance of life and death after suffering an ectopic pregnancy that nearly cost her life. The loss of her unborn child and near loss of her own life are major influences on the album and contribute to the authenticity of the emotion in each song.
“Am I so different? Have I changed? I do not recognize my face. The scar fades but pulls inside, tugging at me all the time,” Welch sings in “Sympathy Magic.”
While Welch credits modern medicine for saving her life, the experience renewed her passion for mythology surrounding grief rituals, folk horror and witchcraft. The album grounds mysticism in lived trauma. It is not just a fantasy, but a real story of resurrection.
“Researching, reading, and pulling together this album became my way out of the fog,” Welch told L’Officiel magazine.
The tracks have an ethereal essence, with elements such as wind chimes, hushed background vocals and a traditional organ. From the intimate, close sound on tracks like “Perfume and Milk” to the heart-shattering belts on “You Can Have It All,” Welch’s voice completes the songs, adding movement and pure emotion.
Building on themes of womanhood, the album tackles sexism and the gender standards in life and in the music industry, echoing past feminist songs such as “King.”
“So like a woman to profit from her madness. I was only beautiful under the lights, only powerful there, burned down at 36,” Welch sings on “One of the Greats.”
“Everybody Scream” becomes a ritual of release and revival with a howl for strength and transformation in the face of heartbreak. For Welch, her voice is the scream.
