High as Hope
High as Hope is the fourth studio album by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine. It was released on 29 June 2018, by Republic[4] and Virgin EMI Records.[5] It was preceded by the singles "Sky Full of Song" and "Hunger". "Patricia" was released as the third and final single on 10 August 2018.[6][7]
High as Hope
29 June 2018
2017–2018
39:57
The album was executively produced by Florence Welch herself, along with Emile Haynie. Following How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (2015), High as Hope features more minimalist, stripped-down productions and explores themes of heartache, loss, family, and finding comfort in loneliness. The album received positive reviews upon release, with music critics lauding Welch's vocal delivery and personal lyricism.
Background and recording[edit]
On 18 April 2017, Nathan Willett, the frontman of Cold War Kids hinted in an interview, that the band's fourth album is in the works by expressing that he had collaborated with Welch.[8] The news was confirmed by Welch herself on 27 May 2017, in an interview for The Daily Telegraph.[9] On 28 February 2018, the band's drummer, Christopher Hayden announced via Instagram that he had parted ways with the band.[10] In March 2018, the Dutch Record Store Day website revealed that a new single by the band would be released on 12 April 2018, titled "Sky Full of Song".[11] The listing was later removed.[11] The single was released on 12 April 2018. The song is accompanied by a video, which was directed by AG Rojas. On 6 April 2018, the BBC announced that the band would headline the BBC Music Biggest Weekend on 26 May 2018, where the band is expected to debut new work.[12] The band was set to perform worldwide as well, with shows scheduled throughout 2018.
Talking about the title and the themes explored on the album in an interview with Universal Music, Florence Welch said: "There is loneliness in this record, and there's issues, and pain, and things that I struggled with, but the overriding feeling is that I have hope about them, and that's what kinda brought me to this title; I was gonna call it The End of Love, which I actually saw as a positive thing cause it was the end of a needy kind of love, it was the end of a love that comes from a place of lack, it's about a love that's bigger and broader, that takes so much explaining. It could sound a bit negative but I didn't really think of it that way."[13] Welch is a credited producer for the first time in her discography, as she decided to take charge in making the music, with six months alone spent on demos.[14]
Welch's lyrics deal with wanting and love, with her describing “Big God” as “obviously, an unfillable hole in the soul, but mainly about someone not replying to my text.” Intimate subjects are discussed, such as "Hunger" referencing an eating disorder in the singer's teenage years,[14] and "The End of Love" addressing her grandmother's suicide, a topic she has previously explored on the Ceremonials track "Only If for a Night".[15] Welch also created "Patricia" in dedication to her idol Patti Smith.[14]
The album title is taken from a poem Welch wrote after wandering through New York City with a friend: “Heady with pagan worship/of water towers/fire escapes, ever reaching/high as hope.”[14]
Commercial performance[edit]
High as Hope debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, selling 40,304 copies in its first week.[29] In the United States, the album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 84,000 album-equivalent units, including 74,000 pure album sales, becoming Florence and the Machine's third US top 10 album.[30] The album was kept out of the top spot in both countries by Drake's Scorpion.[29] High as Hope has sold 80,700 in the UK as of September 19, 2018.[31]
Notes