NEW MUSIC: FLORENCE + THE MACHINE | FREE

Florence + The Machine is gearing up to release "Dance Fever," their long-anticipated follow-up to 2018’s "High As Hope." Florence Welch started writing the album’s songs in pandemic isolation. She recorded them in New York with co-producer Jack Antonoff. Glass Animals frontman Dave Bayley also helped out on much of the LP. We’ve already posted the early singles “King,” “Heaven Is Here,” and “My Love,” and now Florence has shared another early single. The new track “Free” is a big, soaring, euphoric rocker about battling anxiety and about the fleeting moments when that anxiety disappears through the magic of music and communal catharsis. In its exquisite sense of release, “Free” slots in nicely next to Florence classics like “Dog Days Are Over” and “Shake It Out.” Florence co-wrote and co-produced the song with Jack Antonoff. She debuted the song at her Newcastle tour opener a few nights ago, and she got really into it. I don’t often get to say this about an album’s fourth single, but it’s not hard to imagine “Free” achieving anthem status in the future. Like the other "Dance Fever" singles, “Free” has a video from director Autumn de Wilde, the former rock photographer responsible for the 2020 film "Emma." The “Free” video stars Bill Nighy, the great British character actor famous for his work in things like "Love Actually" and the "Pirates Of The Caribbean" movies. The band will embark on a full UK arena tour in November, while an extensive North American tour will also take place later this year, with support from Arlo Parks, Sam Fender, King Princess, Yves Tumor, Japanese Breakfast and Wet Leg on select dates.