-
10.0
2717
10.0 |
Evening Standard
She's a star who uses a harp or clattering drums where lesser mortals might prefer a guitar. Brave and brilliant
Read Review
-
9.0
2719
9.0 |
Independent on Sunday
So does Lungs deliver? With bells on – if Lady Gaga is the next Madge and La Roux the new Kylie, then Welch is nothing short of a 21st-century Kate Bush, with a degree in anatomical biology from the University of Psychoville bolted on
Read Review
-
9.0
2727
9.0 |
PopMatters
What you have, right here, is a truly rare thing—a perfect debut. So congratulations, Florence. Now it’s time to conquer that troublesome sophomore slump. But frankly, I wouldn’t worry
Read Review
-
8.0
2725
8.0 |
musicOMH
A bold, inventive record that bristles with energy and passion. That this sense of enthusiasm isn't always contained within anything resembling a tune or a melody is a minor pitfall and one that is forgiven on repeated listens. Whatever your feelings after the first listen, dispel them and give it a second chance. There are gems to be found - it just takes some commitment to mine them
Read Review
-
8.0
2726
8.0 |
The Scotsman
Lungs is a far cry from Welch's roots in the south London squat party scene and her early punky gigs where she would accompany herself haphazardly on drums. It is an overwhelming debut, featuring an army of multi-tracked Florences coming at you with hair flailing and all guns blazing. And a harp.
Read Review
-
8.0
2721
8.0 |
The Irish Times
Pitched somewhere between Kate Bush and Björk, Welch and her band, The Machine, have an eclectically enthusiastic racket of a sound that is just the right side of stroppy and petulant
Read Review
-
8.0
2723
8.0 |
The Times
The Narnian interior world on which many of these songs shine a light draws comparisons with Kate Bush and Bat for Lashes. Welch’s only instruments, however, are her voice and imagination
Read Review
-
8.0
2718
8.0 |
The Guardian
A sonic labyrinth of xylophones, percussion, Gregorian chants and werewolves. It can sound affected, occasionally crass, but there's enough adventure to make this worth backing for the Mercury
Read Review
-
8.0
2712
8.0 |
Clash
Rammed with silky soul, spiky ballads, raw blues and unashamedly big pop songs, all spiced with the singer’s trademark gothic humour and breath-stealing baritone… Summer has arrived, and with it a major new star
Read Review
-
8.0
2713
8.0 |
Observer Music Monthly
There's a real joy about this debut. It's the sound of someone who has found their voice and is keen to use it - as loudly and freely as possible
Read Review
-
8.0
2714
8.0 |
Mojo
Print edition only
-
8.0
2715
8.0 |
Q
The album easily justifies that pre-emptive Brit
-
8.0
2729
8.0 |
Drowned In Sound
These days, we tend to judge art by the personality of the people making it. Lungs reverses this by giving a personality to Florence. Like a camera pans out in a film, we are suddenly presented with a wide shot of a real, complicated person, where before there was just a loud girl in a cape
Read Review
-
8.0
2731
8.0 |
The List
This surprisingly compelling debut from skewed London chorister Florence Welch largely justifies, and even outshines, the hype
Read Review
-
8.0
5726
8.0 |
Spin
From the way she sings, in big gulps and Teen Wolf growls, to the mystical art-rock ballads she bedazzles with sleigh bells, harps, and choirs, there’s enough drama here for a Broadway musical
Read Review
-
7.2
2733
7.2 |
Pitchfork
Florence Welch's zeal for all things bright and/or shiny comes off as its own act of rebel defiance. Coming to her senses isn't an option
Read Review
-
7.0
2711
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
The best bits feel like being chased through a moonless night by a sexy moor witch.
Read Review
-
6.0
6020
6.0 |
No Ripcord
These songs probably sound otherworldly when played live, but the over-laden stylization actually fills Lungs with unnecessary fat. Welch and her band need to let themselves breathe a bit more when they head back to the studio.
Read Review
-
6.0
2732
6.0 |
Daily Telegraph
Heavy on the henna and kohl and equally inspired by the White Stripes and Kate Bush, Florence Welch ticks all the right indie-gal boxes
Read Review
-
6.0
2716
6.0 |
Uncut
Print edition only
-
6.0
2720
6.0 |
The Independent
It would be a surprise, given the weight of media coverage, if Lungs didn't scale the higher reaches of the album chart, but am I alone in considering it yet another case of a lot being made of too little?
Read Review
-
6.0
2724
6.0 |
Scotland on Sunday
She does have reasonable potential. My Boy Builds Coffins is darkly inventive and Between Two Lungs is an intriguing angle on that telling kiss. But Drumming Song is a slight idea beefed up by clever production, and Hurricane Drunk might be Dido with leather strides on. Florence Welch is an undoubted talent, but it badly needs to be kept in perspective
Read Review
-
6.0
2728
6.0 |
NME
It may be breathtaking in places, but Flossie’s ‘Lungs’ are just a bit too full of bluster
Read Review
-
5.0
2730
5.0 |
The Quietus
The majority of Lungs suffers from the most elementary flaw: a simple lack of memorable songs. The high-street Kate Bush may temporarily have her time in the limelight, but even the best knock-offs end up in the rubbish pile, and Welch has yet to show that she's an exception to the rule
Read Review
-
4.0
2722
4.0 |
The Sunday Times
Four (lovely) songs in, the album collapses beneath the weight and settles into a Kate Bush default that is at once pale imitation and a waste of a potentially exceptional new talen
Read Review
-