Released on Oct. 31, 2025, “Everybody Scream” is the sixth album by British indie band Florence + The Machine, following their 2022 album “Dance Fever.” I first started listening to Florence + The Machine around the summer of 2020. I was immediately captivated by lead singer Florence Welch’s mastery of capturing a feeling of feminine rage. Her music feels like something you could easily daydream to, and “Everybody Scream” continues the trend.
“Everybody Scream” came from a place of pain and recovery. The album was born after Welch had a miscarriage in 2023, resulting in emergency surgery. There are two main themes in “Everybody Scream;” Welch learning how to feel like herself after her miscarriage, and women have to put more effort into getting recognition in music than men.
While “Everybody Scream” has the same sound as previous albums, it’s more subdued. Welch’s choruses are usually releases of emotion with ethereal background vocals. I was missing the bigger choruses, so I looked into the themes her other albums explore to see why they had bigger choruses.
“Lungs” is about emotional turmoil and growth, “Ceremonials” covers themes of death and water, “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” is about the chaotic and calm sides of Welch’s personality, “High As Hope” focuses on addiction and sobriety, and “Dance Fever” reflects Welch’s search for identity during Covid. “High As Hope” and “Everybody Scream” are quieter compared to her other four because they focus more on reflection than expressing passion or suppressed rage.
Surprisingly, I liked every song on “Everybody Scream.” The album has 12 songs with a run time of 49 minutes, and each song adds a different nuance to the album, whilst still building out the two themes. “Sympathy Magic” was my favorite song on the album. With the drums and synth compelling the beat and lyrics forward into the chorus while Welch sings about pushing through what the world throws at her.
“Everybody Scream” is the first song on the album and is filled with layered vocals and background screams that fit the theme of Welch’s touring for her fans. “One of the Greats” covers having to work for fame and how much writing a good song takes out of you. Welch alludes to coming back from the dead to create something new to become “One of the Greats.” The electric guitar chords add the energy and sense of contained rage Welch has at how much harder she has to work for fame than a man does.
“You Can Have It All” and “And Love” are the last two tracks on the album, and I feel they should be listened to together. “You Can Have It All” shows Welch embracing how the world changes with an explosion of instruments in the short chorus. “And Love,” sees Welch sing about love feeling different than she thought. She ends the album on a more relaxed note, finding peace and feeling like herself again.
So if you have about an hour and wish to try out a different genre of music, give “Everybody Scream” a shot. I can guarantee you’ll end up on a journey and won’t be disappointed! Welch does a good job at expressing the feelings behind a miscarriage and defining what it means to be a woman in the modern music industry. She’s setting the stage for the future of Florence + The Machine and I’m excited to see what she puts out next!
