By Claire Kim
After a three-year hiatus, Florence Welch reunited with the band Florence and the Machine. Together, they recently announced the release date for their new album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. The highly anticipated album will be released on June 2, 2015, giving us yet another reason to be excited for the upcoming warm summer months.
The eleven-track album was written and produced by Markus Dravs, who is known for his work with Björk and Arcade Fire. Florence has previously stated the importance of Björk’s album, Homogenic in her own musical journey, making the collaboration with Dravs even more exciting. Audiences were given a sampling of what to expect on the full album with the release of the lead single, “What Kind of Man,” on Feb. 12. The song was shared along with a powerful music video that dramatizes and illustrates the lyrics of this moving track.
The song begins with a slow, moody introduction, one similar to previous Florence and the Machine songs. But the swaying build up in the beginning is soon broken by a powerful combination of tambourines, bass and a mixture of different guitar sounds. The heavy beat and faster tempo quickly changes the composition of the song from slow and bluesy into an upbeat and textured pop track. The music video begins with an uncertain male counterpart who becomes the subject of Florence’s frustrated and impassioned lyrics. The heartbreaking storyline of a woman being strung along by this “kind of man” is brilliantly portrayed in the choppy, yet cohesive music video.
“What Kind of Man,” is able to convey the dark and manic side of heartbreak without the expected melodramatic pace. There is proof of power, strength and hope in this song that yearns for a new type of love and life. The honest portrayal of the confusing and difficult actions within love is beautifully packaged in both the song and the music video.
