Florence + the Machine Unveils New Song Everybody Scream, Sets Halloween Album Release
Florence + the Machine has released Everybody Scream, the title track and first single from their upcoming sixth studio album. The track marks a darker turn for the band, built on an eerie, driving rhythm as Florence Welch confronts the presence that takes hold during performances. “Look at me run myself ragged / Blood on the stage / But how can I leave you when you’re screaming my name?” she sings in the opening chorus, with a chilling choir lending a haunting push as the song builds toward a spellbound finale.
The accompanying video, directed by Autumn de Wilde who helmed the band’s videos for 2022’s Dance Fever, portrays a chaotic countryside scene filled with people seized by an unknown force, shaking and screaming in a pupil-dilating display of energy. IDLES guitarist Mark Bowen appears as one of the possessed characters, adding a stark, cinematic touch to the visuals.
Beyond the single, the album’s backstory sheds light on Welch’s creative direction. The singer drew inspiration from her recovery following a lifesaving surgery during the Dance Fever tour in 2022 and spent two years crafting the record with a tight-knit group of collaborators, including Mark Bowen, Mitski, and Aaron Dessner of The National. The album’s influences range from witchcraft and folk horror to mysticism and chaos, with Welch teasing a more carnal, hybrid sound for Everybody Scream—an idea hinted at by a notebook doodle that read “Swans vs. Adele.”
Everybody Scream is slated for release on October 31, with pre-orders open on the band’s website. Welch previously teased the project with a dramatic Instagram video showing her digging a hole and screaming into it, signaling a bold, cinematic era ahead.
Why it matters: The collaboration with Mitski and Dessner signals an expansive, experimental tilt for Florence + the Machine, blending art-pop theatrics with the band’s signature grandiosity. The personal experiences fueling the album’s creation suggest a narrative of resilience and reinvention that fans can expect to hear reflected in the music and visuals.
Summary: A dramatic, sonically darker lead single and a highly anticipated sixth album mark a new chapter for Florence + the Machine, anchored by Welch’s recovery story, high-profile collaborations, and a multimedia approach that blends ritualistic visuals with expansive, genre-spanning sound. If you’re after a bold, cinematic evolution from the band, Everybody Scream promises to deliver.