Single Review: Florence & The Machine - 'Hunger'

Florence & the Machine released the track, ‘Hunger’ this week, to give us a glimpse of her highly anticipated fourth record, ‘High as Hope.’ Releasing on Virgin EMI, Florence Welch’s record is set to drop on June 29th. This is the first album that Florence herself has co-produced, giving an exciting and more personal touch to it, along with her co-producer Emile Haynie.

This track is, in every way, a glaring look into Florence’s past. She is known for using personal experiences to paint stories in her indie-type poetry, as seen heard in her track ‘Never Let Me Go’, which tells the heartbreaking story of when she almost drowned in the ocean. This new track, ‘Hunger,’ is also very raw in its portrayal of Florence when she was younger. The first line states, “At seventeen, I started to starve myself. I thought that love was a kind of emptiness. And at least I understood the hunger I felt and I didn’t have to call it loneliness.” In the very first verse, listeners begin to understand what it is that Florence is singing about. Throughout the track, she sings about how many of us look for love in things that completely rip away our lives. Our perceptions of love are not always what is beneficial to our hearts, minds, and bodies. These intensely sung lyrics peel back layers of the listener that were possibly invisible.

Florence states about this track, “this song is about the ways we look for love in things that are perhaps not love, and how attempts to feel less alone can sometimes isolate us more. I guess I made myself more vulnerable in this song to encourage connection, because perhaps a lot more of us feel this way than we are able to admit. Sometimes when you can't say it, you can sing it.” It is clear that Florence is confident enough in her past turmoil to bring it to life through song, in a way that captivates listeners from the first line. This melodic embassy of soul and sound is not new to Florence. It is stories of emotion and triumph that engage her fans in a way that brings to light a darkness that invades. Florence has shown that light is truly more powerful than darkness. There is a specific type of comfort that her music portrays. It almost lays the foundation for personal growth, and gives the feeling of togetherness. The title “High as Hope” is enough to show us that this album will be an intimate journey of both emotion and overcoming.

Words by Peyton Fields