Happy ‘How Big How Blue How Beautiful’ week - a Florence + The Machine appreciation post!

To celebrate the release of Florence + The Machine’s very good third studio album, 'How Big How Blue How Beautiful' - out now in New Zealand! - Coup De Main is paying daily homage to our #1 spirit animal...

"A pop star at 21, with two international hit albums behind her, Florence discovered that in giving seven years to her music, some elements of real life had been left by the wayside. Coming back from tour and moving out of her mother’s Camberwell home, Florence re-engaged with normal life: going out, falling in and out of love, and simply trying to learn how to look after herself outside of the hermetic bubble of life of the road.

“It was sort of a crash landing” Florence freely admits, “I guess although I’ve always dealt in fantasy and metaphor when I came to writing, that meant the songs this time were dealing much more in reality. Ceremonials was so fixated on death and water, and the idea of escape or transcendence through death, but the new album became about trying to learn how live, and how to love in the world rather than trying to escape from it. Which is frightening because I’m not hiding behind anything but it felt like something I had to do.”

And so the new Florence, and her songs, started to swim into focus..."

Here are five very important things that you ought to know...

P.S. Click here to read our review of Florence’s new album!

#1. Florence’s foot is on the mend! Enough so, that she can even joke about the aftermath...

#2. This Florence + The Machine fan has collected images of 'How Big How Blue How Beautiful' promo art from all around the world - look at how pretty it all is!

#3. The motif/logo for the 'How Big How Blue How Beautiful' album, is that of two alchemical symbols bookending each other, with the symbol for air sitting atop the symbol for water.

If you'd like a pair of rings to match Florence's own Air and Water alchemy rings that she wears in the 'How Big How Blue How Beautiful' video, these rings from Bloody Mary Metal are a perfect match. Both rings are available in sterling silver, yellow gold or rose gold. Just wear the Fire Alchemy Ring upside down, then stack the Air Alchemy Ring on top, and you're good to go.

#4. There's a song called 'Which Witch' on the deluxe edition of 'How Big How Blue How Beautiful', and it's one of my favourite songs of the entire record. It's exclusive to the deluxe, so this means you're just gonna have to get the deluxe with all of its 32-page-booklet beauty!

Bonus Witch pun:

#5. Florence is friends with Stevie Nicks. And celebrated her birthday with her this year. Enough said.

Florence + The Machine's new album 'How Big How Blue How Beautiful' is out now! Click here to pre-order now on iTunes.

Watch Florence + The Machine’s music video for 'Ship To Wreck' below...