In addition to releasing “Moderation” Post-High as Hope, alternative pop darlings Florence + The Machine also release the brief single, “Haunted House.”  

“Do you remember winding your arm around my shoulder / As we wandered ‘round the hill? / Now I’m in that fog forever / In full collaboration with the weather ‘cause …”  As previously mentioned with single “Moderation”, Florence + The Machine returns sooner than later with new music post-High as Hope.  Yes, “Moderation” serves as the main attraction, but Florence Welch also has another ‘trick up her sleeve’ with “Haunted House.” 

Similar to Vampire Weekend’s singles “Harmony Hall / 2021”, the second Florence + The Machine single is significantly shorter.  “Haunted House” just misses the two-minute mark, yet manages to have two verses, pre-chorus, chorus, and outro.  Like “Moderation,” references to the title appear throughout most of the record explicitly, save for the aforementioned pre-chorus, and the chorus, which simply repeats the line, “I’m not free yet.” Even that references the ‘haunted house,’ which what Florence Welch likens her heart to.  On the first verse, she sings, “My heart is like a haunted house… / They make their music in the night / And in the day they give me such a fright.”  The lyrics are also similar on the second verse, definitely establishing a mood.

Final Thoughts

Once more, Florence + The Machine does a fantastic job of delivering moody music concerned with matters of the heart.  While “Haunted House” is surprisingly set in a major key, it’s still a ‘tortured’ record if you will.  That’s fine – a little schadenfreude never hurt anything, right?

Florence + The Machine • Moderation [Single] • Virgin • Release: 1.24.19

Photo Credit: Virgin