There aren’t many duets in Florence Welch’s discography, and I’ll tell you why: Most singers are scared to get too close to that gale-force voice. But Taylor Swift confidently stepped into the storm on her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, featuring Florence + the Machine on “Florida!!!†The pairing makes sense on paper — the two have been friends for years, they share a producer in Jack Antonoff, and lately Swift has been veering into Welch’s witchy and woodsy lyrical territory. Nobody comes out of a Florence Welch duet alive — including listeners.
“Florida!!!†is already in Welch’s medieval-epic wheelhouse. Did you hear those drums? Her lyrics touch on some of her favorite motifs: storms and ghosts. In just a few lines, she paints a picture of herself crouching in the bathroom, wine in hand, weathering the emotional and literal tempests. (Consider her a professor emeritus in the Tortured Poets Department.) It’s Welch’s voice that sells it; her breathy tremble in the first few lines makes the scene all the more vivid. Then, slowly, she builds while trading lines with Swift until an explosive second chorus that takes the breath away from anyone listening. There’s three exclamation points for a reason! (!!)
Equally important to holding your own in a good duet is knowing when to step back and let your partner shine. After we could barely hear Lana Del Rey on “Snow on the Beach,†Welch makes herself loud and clear on “Florida!!!â€