Florence + The Machine return with new single 'King'

Florence + The Machine have returned with their new single ‘King’ – you can hear the track below.

The Florence Welch-led band began teasing new material earlier this week, prompting speculation that the follow-up album to June 2018’s ‘High As Hope’ will arrive soon.

Florence + The Machine have today (February 23) shared their comeback single ‘King’, which is accompanied by a Autumn de Wilde-directed video – you can see that below – and a statement from Welch.

“As an artist, I never actually thought about my gender that much. I just got on with it,” Welch said. “I was as good as the men and I just went out there and matched them every time.

“But now, thinking about being a woman in my 30s and the future… I suddenly feel this tearing of my identity and my desires. That to be a performer, but also to want a family, might not be as simple for me as it is for my male counterparts.

“I had modelled myself almost exclusively on male performers, and for the first time I felt a wall come down between me and my idols as I have to make decisions they did not.”

While the next Florence + The Machine album has still yet to be officially announced, ‘King’ marks the band’s first new music release since 2021’s ‘Call Me Cruella’, which featured in the Disney film Cruella.

Florence + The Machine will perform at a host of European festivals this summer, including Flow Festival, Øya Festival and Mad Cool Festival.