High as Hope
| Florence and the Machine
High as Hope
High as Hope is the fourth studio album by the English indie rock band Florence and the Machine, released on 29 June 2018 by Republic Records and Virgin EMI Records. It was preceded by the 7-inch single "Sky Full of Song" and lead single "Hunger".-Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
How small, how beige, how disappointing.
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Rolling Stone
It’s cool, though — you’ll forgive her, ‘cause that’s just Flo, y’know?
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Consequence of Sound
Bold move for an artist at Welch’s stage, one where the risks pay off
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NME
Flo's truth shines on the safe but subtle album number four
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Spin
A compass-led path forward that signals even greater things for her band and her own livelihood.
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The Gaurdian
Gale-force delivery remain but Florence Welch now seems to be settling for a little calm
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Refinery 29
Music is where she chases her demons, and it’s a part of her process worth putting on record.
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NPR
Feels less like a storm than the soft light breaking in afterward amid the sober awe of a new day.
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The Current
She offers up an epic album of swoon-worthy sing-a-longs.
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Independant
It’s delightful to hear how she explores the dexterity of her vocal range in a way that suggests she’s going for substance
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Dancing Astronaut
An endearingly honest grappling with life and livelihood and the sheer complexity of living, and there is certainly something hopeful to take away from that.
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USA Today
She lets down her guard with wistful reflections on her past and present.
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Drowned in Sound
It’s quite possibly the most beautiful thing the band has ever released. Near perfection.
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The 405
Grounded firmly to the earth and perhaps is her greatest achievement to date.
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Slant
The album eschews guitar rock-oriented maximalism and soaring catharsis in favor of quieter orchestral moments.
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The Line of Best fit
Without a doubt their most personal album yet
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The AU Review
A less is more approach was key with High As Hope and the result is incredibly rewarding.
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Irish Times
There are indubitably one or two “wow” moments, they don’t quite span the whole album.
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Rock Cellar
Another sweeping affair for the band, sure to please longtime fans with its huge choruses and undeniable passion
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Earmilk
Most of the tracks read like poetry rather than songs
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Daily Cal
Best described as ethereal, otherworldly, and these descriptors are certainly true of High As Hope.
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ABC
Asks some big questions, but doesn’t necessarily want them answered.
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The Fader
A more stripped back affair compared with the flashy theatrics of previous Florence albums.
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Irish Examiner
A twirling blend of charity shop Stevie Nicks, millennial Kate Bush and self-aware Bonnie Tyler.
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Hot Press
Described as 'less Florence-y' by the songsmith herself, it seems that the star has realised she's at a crossroads.
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Gold Derby
The ‘most rewarding’ album yet from the English band
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Cryptic Rock
Welch and her merry band of misfits weave stories that are poetry on paper while always music to the ears
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All Music
An endearing and heartfelt study of truth and self-reflection.
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Pop Matters
The band's latest release brims with seriously catchy hooks
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Financial Times
Songs still tend to become grander affairs as they progress but they are more textured than before
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Vancouver Weekly
Most personal, intimate album yet
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The Times
Welch displays impeccable judgment
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NZ Herald
Welch is able to show off that ability to become a force of nature –
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Albumism
Demonstrated beautifully here by Welch and her steadfast collaborators.
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Telegraph UK
Welch has refined a sound so uniquely her own it really couldn't be mistaken for the work of any other artist.
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Chicago Tribune
Lyrically, it's a delight: reflective, wry and rueful. Musically, it retains the extravagance Welch's fans love
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Newsday
It becomes clear she has learned that being content can be beautiful, that we should all have high hopes for that.
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Album Analysis
Its quite gorgeous, well executed, highly spirited, and an example of strong modern musicianship.
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Immortal Reviews
Painfully honest, and full of powerful stories about love and everything about it. From pain to loneliness to acceptance
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College Media Network
She’s embracing something less baroque and less celestial.
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Vulture
An ending as well as a new beginning
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Sound Blab
She is making some of her most confident music to date.
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Read Buzz
Florence Welch has been reborn, and the new heights she will reach in the future are high
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Music Insight
The honest and candid delivery of the strong lyrics are the hero of this record.
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Monstagigz
It’s the words rather than the music where this collection shines brightest.
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SCMP
Welch’s most indelible instrument will always be her electrifying voice.
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The Arts Desk
a more mature and stripped-down sound that often feels one step away from dispensing with instrumentation altogether.
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Red abd black
Exceeded expectations, lyrically and instrumentally.
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TG Com 24
A calm and dreamy sound that revolves around the beautiful voice of Florence
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KFOG
The result is a 40-minute aural landscape that begins and ends with Welch’s bare voice.
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Boston Globe
She exudes a level of personality and skill that transcend vocal runs and high notes — though she’s very good at those, too.
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Bol
Good quality Immersive music Good singing
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Uproxx
The album is full of both love and loneliness
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i99 Radio
Shows Florence in her most honest and raw form
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Belwood Music
raw, honest approach
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Konibini
Has also more than ever delivered in her lyrics, hard at times but essential.
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Radio EiNS
Welch is an exception in the music world and this is again proven by her band.
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Vue Weekly
The result is not an egotistical album, but more of a melodic diary.
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Flood Magazine
Every emotion scales operatic heights, every tragedy feels world-ending,
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XS Noize
Display their brilliance and continue the momentum that keeps them at the top of the album charts.
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Tulpa Magazine
Most thematically pure album to date.
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Nordbuzz
But the arrangements sound more focused, less playful than they once were. Mature.
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87FM
A marvel when Welch pushes past the boundaries
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Radio UDT
The band's most personal LP to date
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Musik Express
Her wind-machine-and-walle-dress-pathos sound all the more impressive
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Diandra Reviews It All
Welch could make a statue cry with her notes striking your soul like a series of bells
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Stack
She does it with the abandon of someone who admits she’s far from perfect but revels in the grace of that flawed state anyway.
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Deutschland Funk Kultur
Hardly anybody suffers so well
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The National Student
It's lyrics are breathtakingly raw and real.
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Gigs Norheast
Develop and adopt a more mature, polished sound.
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Rockol
Ten pieces that can caress your soul, written to alleviate a sense of loneliness
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The Montclarion
Sets a tone right off the bat and maintains that level of quality all the way to its end.
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Audible Way
Welch exhibits a characteristic maturity that comes with time
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Stars And Scars
Could very well be her most candid outpouring of songs yet
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Brooklyn Vegan
She’s kind of the modern-day Stevie Nicks; both singers can soar and belt it but they do so tastefully
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WRBB Radio
This is a great solo album, but it’s the last one I want to hear from Florence + The Machine.
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107.7 The End
She's like a fairy goddess filled with pain and emotion that can't be contained
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JBHifi
Florence has outdone herself. This record is absolutely perfect, stunning from start to end
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Chorus FM
I felt the album would have benefited from an up-tempo rocker or two, to help balance the melancholy sounds
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Highway Queens
High As Hope takes us all under its wing and soars straight into the clouds.
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Dansende Beren
The right dosage of everything we were used to.
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Philly Daily News
It’s clear she’s the most normal weirdo in pop.
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Music OMH
Awistful, more intimate air to her music this time around.
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Paste Magazine
Album of cathedral-filling, mountain-moving sound, with Welch’s vocals the main source of power.
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Gulf News
There’s oodles of operatic drama, but the album’s biggest pleasures often come in subtle moments.
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A Bit of Pop
There is an understated quality about this record that shows Florence go back to basics,
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The Sound Board Review
Probably their least impactful effort to date musically
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Crack Magazine
Endearingly human
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There Goes the Fear
The album feels like a slice of Welch’s soul, giving us a much more honest and genuine perspective
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The Review Geek
Unlikely to be another that puts the vocals at centre stage quite so effectively as this one.
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Hey Nineteen
That sense of sonic largesse is gone, and in its place something perfectly nice and perfectly average.
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Melodic Magazine
Unforgettable
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The Edge
The bombast wears thin on multiple listens
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Town Hall
Big hooks embedded in a wall of sound.
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Thr Odessey Online
Welsh's masterpiece and one of her best works.
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WSB-TV Atlanta
She lets down her guard with wistful reflections on her past and present
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No Depression
Evolved into an entity capable of creating art in the highest sense.
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Patrick's Music
I definitely enjoyed this project
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It's All Dead
as always, a masterpiece.
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The Review Online
Reveals a more vulnerable and human side to Florence
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Latest News
It’s a lyrical pride infused with operatic drama, but in addition has its refined moments
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Vibe Addicts
Not mortal, more of a demi-deity she has become on the music scene.(Yoda Voice) This album is again proof of that.
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Under the Radar
this is a deep well of an album that demands repeated listens
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Fox 23
she lets down her guard with wistful reflections on her past and present.
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Star Tribune
Lyrically, it's a delight: reflective, wry and rueful. Musically, it retains the extravagance
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The National
Turns down the volume, but turns up the soul
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Okihsa
It is an amazing body of work
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NWI.com
It's a delight: reflective, wry and rueful.
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Gav The Gothic
We have a well matured album, it’s pretty much just Florence…the machine seems to be on standby
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The Tung
This is a one woman show, can we stop calling her a ‘rock band’ already?
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