Florence Road - Fall Back

Wicklow four-piece Florence Road straddle a fine line between softness and noise – think the electric grit of Wolf Alice, the theatrical flair of The Last Dinner Party, and the pop-bitten vengeance of Olivia Rodrigo, all twisted into one. Lily Alon’s voice walks on the edge of control, switching seamlessly between rawness and weightlessness and selling every word of their barefaced lyrics. ‘Figure It Out’ in particular takes cues from Rodrigo, as Lily’s vocals crescendo while grimy guitars and thrashing drums lead the track into a glitter-splattered grunge breakdown. On ‘BREAK THE GIRL’, they veer fully into pop, even allowing for a “la la la” singalong at the end, though a wild guitar solo rescues it from sugar overload. The standout, though, is ‘Caterpillar’, a lilting, symphonic slow-build where her weathered voice stretches out into an ambitious orchestral swell. It’s gutsy, textured, and far beyond their years. There are moments where their sound still shows its youth - ‘Goodnight’ and the chorus of ‘BREAK THE GIRL’ lean too heavily on pop simplicity- but there’s no doubt that Florence Road are teetering on the edge of something truly brilliant. The ambition in their sound speaks for itself.