Florence Welch has always had shades of mysticism and magic permeating her work. These ethereal elements can be found in everything from her lyrical imagery to her fashion sense — those iconic flowing silhouettes. Even her robust vocals are imbued with a haunting lilt that gives her unique voice a supernatural brawn. And, if you weren’t aware, back in 2018, Florence published a book of lyrics, poetry, and drawings called Useless Magic.

On her new single, “Everybody Scream,” the esteemed artist leans hard into occult sensibilities to create an unnerving vision that would make even Ari Aster shudder. The video contains witches, cinematic landscapes, wicked choreography, a backwards horseman, and a bounty hunter. The song has a thunderous beat drives the action forward with an apocalyptic fervor. But the best part is… this is only the beginning. There’s more music coming. Florence + the Machine will release its sixth album, Everybody Scream, on October 31.

The video for the single was directed by Autumn de Wilde, who has also directed videos for Beck, Jenny Lewis, The Raconteurs, and other artists. However, Autumn is possibly best known for her work on Emma., which is based on Jane Austen’s classic 1815 novel and stars Anya Taylor-Joy.

When Florence was touring in support of her previous album, 2022’s Dance Fever, she broke her foot during a concert at the O2 Arena in London and was forced to postpone the remainder of the tour. Oddly enough, this wasn’t the first time the energetic artist had broken bones during a live performance. In April 2015, she broke her right foot after leaping off the stage at Coachella.

In August 2023, Welch posted that she had undergone emergency surgery, which saved her life. Her recovery took Florence down the path of spiritual mysticism, witchcraft, and folk horror as she felt the limits of her body and explored what it means to be “healed.” This inspired themes of womanhood, partnership, aging, and dying. Welch collaborated with Mark Bowen of IDLES, Aaron Dessner, and Mitski to complete the album.

Everybody Scream will be available on October 31.

Florence + the Machine links:
website • Instagram • Facebook • TikTok • preorder Everybody Scream

Photo credits: Autumn de Wilde