- Culture
- 07 Mar 22
The Florence Welch-led band is back with their second single this year ahead of European headline dates.
Following last month's long-awaited return, Florence + The Machine have announced a follow up single, 'Heaven is Here', set to be released later today (March 7).
Welch, took to Twitter to talk about the track saying: "'Heaven is Here' was the first song I wrote in lockdown after an extended period of not being able to get to the studio."
"I wanted to make something monstrous. And this clamour of joy, fury and grief was the first thing that came out…"
Welch also revealed she wrote the track with potential choreography as the guiding force.
"With dance studios also shut it was my dream to one day create choreography with it. So it’s one of the first pieces of music I have made specifically with contemporary dance in mind. "
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Heaven is Here was the first song I wrote in lockdown after an extended period of not being able to get to the studio.
I wanted to make something monstrous. And this clamour of joy, fury and grief was the first thing that came out… pic.twitter.com/CPgZtmlja4— florence welch (@florencemachine) March 6, 2022
'Heaven is Here' will drop at 4 pm GMT.
Welch and co. began their current release cycle with the empowering 'King' – along with its accompanying video. The track tackles the concept of womanhood, family and femininity, with Welch declaring: "I am no mother, I am no bride – I am a king."
“As an artist, I never actually thought about my gender that much," Welch stated. "I just got on with it. I was as good as the men and I just went out there and matched them every time.
"But now, thinking about being a woman in my 30s and the future… I suddenly feel this tearing of my identity and my desires. That to be a performer, but also to want a family might not be as simple for me as it is for my male counterparts. I had modelled myself almost exclusively on male performers, and for the first time I felt a wall come down between me and my idols as I have to make decisions they did not.”
Having refrained from making any major releases since 2020, fans of the indie-rock outfit received letters last month titled "Chapter 1", hinting at the band's imminent return.
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The teasers arrived in a pink envelopes with a playing card featuring Florence on the front, titled "KING', hinting at the newly released track.
Following their new releases, the group is slated to headline a number of European festival sets this summer including Norway's Øya, Finland's Flow and Madrid's Mad Cool.