Florence + The Machine release new song ahead of album release

The video was choreographed by Akram Khan and Florence Welch.

Describing the inspiration behind ‘Big God,’ Florence writes: “‘Big God’ was written about that feeling when someone has not replied to your text, the modern phenomenon of ‘ghosting’ which is one of my favourite words but not my favourite feeling. I was describing it to someone and they said to me ‘you need a big god’, as if the need in me were so cavernous it would take something enormous to fill it. Probably something bigger than a text message.”

“It’s always been a very physical song, I saw a dance piece in my head as I was writing it, so to co-choreograph something with Akram Khan was a huge honour. Autumn de Wilde fully understood what I was trying to do. The power of the desire within the void. Left with yourself to rage and wonder. And really it is yourself you are raging against. Not the ghost.”

The video was directed by acclaimed photographer and director, Autumn de Wilde. De Wilde has previously directed music videos for Elliott Smith, Spoon and Death Cab for Cutie among others.

Akram Khan, meanwhile, said of the ‘Big God’ video: “For me, this encounter with Florence and her powerful song somehow navigated itself towards the element - water. But the direction of the dance also became a resistance to all things that wish to oppress, a sort of protest dance and yet a celebratory one towards a new found freedom.”

This is the first album that Florence has officially co-produced. She started writing the record in solitude in South London. She took the songs to Los Angeles with her friend and co-producer Emile Haynie, opening them up along the way for collaboration with the likes of Kamasi Washington, Sampha, Tobias Jesso Jr, Kelsey Lu and Jamie xx.

High as Hope is out June 29th.

Florence + The Machine will play the 3Arena in Dublin on November 19th 2018.