High As Hope
by Florence + the Machine
  • Record Label: Republic
  • Release Date: Jun 29, 2018
User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 499 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 432 out of 499
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 499
  3. Negative: 41 out of 499
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  1. tcl
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What a comeback. What a masterpiece! The production, the songwriting, the arrangement, everything about this album is beautiful. Great job, Florence. She created another magnificent piece of art again!… Expand
  2. lode6969
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    An emotional joyride that leads you to "hope" and "delight"...the most fascinating piece of work by Queen Mother Florence and her beautiful Machine.
  3. Masquic
    Jun 29, 2018
    9
    The echoes of sentiment in the album... All the feelings the lyrics and melodies makes you experience such wonderful things, it's powerful, it's beautiful. We feel the heart and the soul of every song.
  4. CharlieGray
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    This is the album of the year, it almost made me tear up. Florence’s best album to date.
  5. Hunter944
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    Florence takes the personal and universalises her feelings for the listener. As an album this is their most complete sonically with the production tying everything together perfectly.
  6. guilhermeafonso
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    Not as grandiose as HBHBHB, but delivers some of the most beautiful songs. Featured for No Choir, Patricia and The End Of Love. Masterpiece!
  7. FacuEscobar1986
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    Florence, her voice, her writing, her performances are unique. This album is pure gold. Best of the year so far
  8. jerryclock
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    her voice is so ANGELICAL. listening w a coffee is the best for a nicely night or dream with your boyfriend. amazing album. thanks
  9. messxina
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    PERSONAL AND EMOTIONAL, a mix of "Lungs" "Ceremonials" and "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful", beautiful lyrics and melodies; "High as Hope" is the best return after three years.
  10. alisterxx
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    What a comeback. What a masterpiece! The production, the songwriting, the arrangement, everything about this album is beautiful. Great job, Florence. She created another magnificent piece of art again!
  11. misterlindomar
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    it's amazing how Florence has this ability to be so real, so crude and so simple. High As Hope is a masterpiece full of unique feelings, real stories, wonderful arrangements and melodies.
  12. narathipk
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    the last two track "the end of love" & "no choir" could tear you up. The whole album is her most finest and sincere record. It's her sober era! Peace out
  13. TimW001
    Jun 29, 2018
    7
    Florence's beautiful voice and some drums can easily carry an entire album. And this is all this album is. Under produced and it shows how great Florence is. But I still would have liked some of the deeper swells and peaks of her older stuff.
  14. alfrdoneto
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    O melhor álbum da carreira. Florence usa sua voz de um jeito magistral, suas composições são belas e profundas, os arranjos são de tirar o fôlego. Excelente.
  15. Matheezus
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    Melhor álbum da carreira. Florence está muito mais madura e vendo a vida de maneira mais simples e positiva, por isso que as letras são muito menos complexas e cheias de metáforas como os álbuns anteriores. A última faixa "No Choir" deixa explítico que é essa a mensagem que ela quer passar.

    Brazil loves you Florence so please be more polite with us as you are with your europe fans, we    Melhor álbum da carreira. Florence está muito mais madura e vendo a vida de maneira mais simples e positiva, por isso que as letras são muito menos complexas e cheias de metáforas como os álbuns anteriores. A última faixa "No Choir" deixa explítico que é essa a mensagem que ela quer passar.

    Brazil loves you Florence so please be more polite with us as you are with your europe fans, we don't bite, we just want pictures, hugs and to say we love you.    … Expand
  16. avr50
    Jun 30, 2018
    10
    This is different form other Florence + The Machine records, but this doesn't´t mean that is something bad, actually is great because she is an artist, and an artist always delivers something more to the new projects, so that it could be distinctive and this album, to me at least, is a wonder, is not better to "How big, how blue, how beautiful" but it is a beautiful album. "High as hope"This is different form other Florence + The Machine records, but this doesn't´t mean that is something bad, actually is great because she is an artist, and an artist always delivers something more to the new projects, so that it could be distinctive and this album, to me at least, is a wonder, is not better to "How big, how blue, how beautiful" but it is a beautiful album. "High as hope" is more soften and subtle than previous works from the band, but it manages to stand because they use Florence Welch extremely talented voice as an instrument, and that adds more vulnerability to every song, that I think, that was what they intended. Something that I noticed, was that almost all the songs had the same structure (start softly, then increase the sound and the intensity of it, to end softly again.) and hearing all of the album you can notice that, to some may be a bad thing, I must say that I was hopping that every song had a different structure, but the result wasn't bad, and I could hear the songs over and over again with no problem at all. If you´re a Florence fan, you´ll love the album, if you are new into this band, you can expect emotion, a great and powerful voice, and lyrics that can be poetic and specific at the same time… Expand
  17. sanesal123
    Jul 3, 2018
    10
    Excellent from the first song to the last. I loved every aspect from this album, the lyrics and instrumentals are on point.
  18. jazeck68
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    This new album is killing me, I can not wait until the music cd arrives to the cd store ahhh
  19. Touchking
    Jun 30, 2018
    10
    Sem dúvida um álbum muito bem trabalhado e produzido. Qualquer música ficaria boa em um clipe e cada letra é profundamente tocante. Patricia é uma das melhores do álbum, junta a Big God e Hunger.
  20. Crownelius
    Jul 3, 2018
    10
    talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before
  21. LincolnCorreia
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    It's such a beautiful album, from beggining to end. Florence + the Machine is back with a piece of art. Raw, intense, soft and strong. Every song is unique, powerful in their own way. I'm so glad that she is back.
  22. romoromo
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    A beautiful record that explores Florence's inner voice. Throughout the album your hear multiple stories and personal feelings, while she glimpses and addresses the listener with lovely phrases that invites you to join her in this flight. This is not about the answers but about the journey, and accompanied with alluring simple sounds and a choir of Florences along the whole record reallyA beautiful record that explores Florence's inner voice. Throughout the album your hear multiple stories and personal feelings, while she glimpses and addresses the listener with lovely phrases that invites you to join her in this flight. This is not about the answers but about the journey, and accompanied with alluring simple sounds and a choir of Florences along the whole record really just heightens the experience. Simply put, gorgeous album.… Expand
  23. GonzaloRuiz99
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    Hay una sincronización de cada canción a otra armoniosa, que al pasar de una pista a otra guardan relación, ritmos parecidos y a la vez distintos, letras profundas que recorren en las 10 canciones desde June hasta No Choir. Las canciones más resaltantes son: Hunger, Patricia, Grace, The End of Love.
  24. stgui
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    She really never disappoints. All the feelings running through this entire album are just sublime.
  25. tihbo
    Jul 5, 2018
    10
    Best album from Florence. Lyrically and instrumentaly this is the most achieved work so far. June hunger patricia 100 years and The end of love are big highlights from this album.
  26. RafaelSantoSX
    Apr 19, 2019
    10
    Welch traz os seus fardos passados para esse álbum fazendo com que tudo se transforme em uma grande e enorme poesia musical gostosa para os ouvidos. Todas as faixas tem uma sonoridade boa e bem produzida, trazendo assim a elevação da alma. O álbum mais bem produzido e acabado da Florence + The Machine.
  27. Samarqand
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    After the first spin my immediate reaction is that it is both (a) powerful in presentation and (b) appears to synthesize the different, sometimes radically so, tone and sounds that have defined each of her previous albums. This is very much a compliment, very much a good thing.

    I stumbled upon her first album not long after it came out, back when I was still keeping up with the 'indie    After the first spin my immediate reaction is that it is both (a) powerful in presentation and (b) appears to synthesize the different, sometimes radically so, tone and sounds that have defined each of her previous albums. This is very much a compliment, very much a good thing.

    I stumbled upon her first album not long after it came out, back when I was still keeping up with the 'indie scene' (is that even a thing anymore?). I loved it. Still consider it a masterpiece, if a bit dated.

    Her next two albums took very different tracts, with a 'a'religiosity feel on Ceremonials and a more direct feminist approach in what came after.

    She where her previous two albums had some amazing songs, they were overstuffed and tiring, with too much filler - songs that were interesting but better released separately.

    This album though? It seems to take the confidence she's always had, she's focused her efforts and has produced her most cohesive, beautiful and - yes - powerful album ever.

    This may be a masterpiece; time will tell.    … Expand
  28. fra92
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    I loved this album, it's a poweful and deep intimate piece of Florence's life. She is always capable of getting me emotional. I love Hunger, June, South London forever, A Sky full of song and Big God.
    Incredible work for an amazing artist.
  29. Jmusic9
    Jun 29, 2018
    10
    ¡Un regreso increíble! La voz angelical de Florence se acopla a la perfección con cada palabra y melodía. Composición y producción majestuosa. Sin duda uno de los álbumes más poéticos de la década y uno de los mejores del año.
  30. Wael
    Jun 29, 2018
    9
    Three years after the release of her outstanding third LP "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful", Florence Welch is back with a new record she promised us she had stripped down her sound for (something she promised us with "HBHBHB" after "Ceremonials", but we never quite heard it on there.. not that we're complaining!).
    The new record, titled "High As Hope", delivers what's promised, relying    Three years after the release of her outstanding third LP "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful", Florence Welch is back with a new record she promised us she had stripped down her sound for (something she promised us with "HBHBHB" after "Ceremonials", but we never quite heard it on there.. not that we're complaining!).
    The new record, titled "High As Hope", delivers what's promised, relying on Welch's vocals more than ever, making use of lyrics that are her most personal ever, playing over very minimalistic productions, they're sometimes barely heard ("Sky Full of Song" sounds almost like an acapella if it wasn't for those gentle guitars filling the background).

    The record opens up with the beautiful and heartfelt ballad "June", which starts off as calm, and then builds up until the outro finds Florence thrashing around over dramatic drums and shouting "I'm so high, I'm so high". As aforementioned, the lyrics on this project are very personal, they feel like they've been taken straight out of Flo's diary: she apologizes to her sister on the tender-but-powerful "Grace", singing "I'm sorry I ruined your birthday, you had turned 18 / And the sunshine hit me and I was behaving strangely", and even opens up about an old eating-disorder she once suffered from on "Hunger" ("At 17, I started to starve myself / I thought that love was a kind of emptiness"), that turns out to be a universal anthem about yearning for all types and scales of love. Another absolute highlight is "100 Years" which is a 5-minutes journey of lyrics and instrumentals, and therefore makes the most Florence-y song on here.

    What is beautiful about Florence + the Machine is that they never make the same record twice: each LP of theirs has its own identity, and its little universe in which it perpetually exists. On "High As Hope", the chaos is gone, and the music, the sounds, and the lyrics are the sonic representation of a ray of sun breaking through a window and enlightening a room.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

22
#22 Most Discussed Album of 2018
12
#12 Most Shared Album of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. Under The Radar
    Aug 6, 2018
    75
    While there may be no obvious "stadium" moments here to compare with "Ship to Wreck" from 2015's How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful or the massive "Shake It Out" from 2011's Ceremonials, aside, perhaps from recent single "Big God," this is a deep well of an album that demands repeated listens--the subtleties and intricacies revealing themselves satisfyingly and sometimes inspiringly as time goes on.
    Read full review
  2. Uncut
    Jul 19, 2018
    70
    Sober and joyful. [Sep 2018, p.29]
  3. No Ripcord
    Jul 11, 2018
    70
    By stripping everything back, it often ends up just being a distillation of their sound. The songs are familiar but frustratingly lack any colour or character.
    Read full review
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