Close to four years since Florence + the Machine released their last studio album (2018's 'High As Hope'), the English band have dropped a surprise track titled 'King'.
A meditation on womanhood, family and femininity that transcends gender-defined roles, Florence sings: "I am no mother, I am no bride – I am king.""As an artist, I never actually thought about my gender that much. I just got on with it," Florence says.
"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."
'King' is the first chapter of Florence + the Machine's next studio album that's due later this year.
