The world inside Florence Welch’s head is clearly an alarming, spasmodic place – well, according to her latest video at least. This week has seen the premiere of Florence + The Machine’s latest musical offering in the form of the bands “What Kind Of Man” video, and we have to admit, it’s certainly a video that packs a cinematic punch. The opening scene is reminiscent of a vintage styled Lana Del Ray video, filled with muted tones and rainy window pains a plenty. In the midst of a conversation with her on-screen love interest, Florence remarks, “So you think people that suffer together will be more connected than people who are content?” as the camera jumps to multiple scenarios throughout a somewhat long-winded introduction.
The track kicks in at 1 minute 40, at which point the viewer is lulled into a false sense of security with her dulcet tones and the dreamy romanticism that director Vincent Haycock has created. Everything is going swimmingly, that is until Florence’s dark thoughts storm the room, with the assistance of a pounding beat and electric guitars. Jump cuts combine with frantic images that lead the viewer to believe the world inside the singers head is anything but the peaceful lullaby we experience from the outset.
“What Kind Of Man” is certainly a video that builds in pace and ferocity and by the end we loved it, however trying to turn a Florence video into what seems like an overly dramatic short-film wasn’t the greatest idea in the cinematic handbook. Note to Florence: simplicity is a great card to play.
