Florence + The Machine - Ship to Wreck

Right when Florence Welch announced her ‘How Big How Blue How Beautiful’ album, she told Zane Lowe that she had something of a “nervous breakdown”, without going into too many details. Constant touring and a one-album-after-the-next cycle had clearly taken effect, but ‘Ship to Wreck’ is the first of her new songs to directly address the in-limbo stage that struck LP3. “Did I drink too much? Am I losing touch?” she sings, before - as is custom with anything Welch does - bursting into a gigantic chorus.

Whatever happened in between records, whichever creative blocks she ran into headfirst - they’re gone now. Already, Welch has showcased some of her most curious and direct songwriting to date. ‘Ship to Wreck’ is an obvious single choice - it raises the dial when required, bellows when it’s time - but it’s also one of Florence’s best examples of matching brutal honesty with euphoric pop.