<\/p>\n
Normally, a video of your favorite singer ferociously digging a hole in the ground in a grassy meadow and then screaming into the void as if exorcising a demon would be cause for concern. But for fans of Florence + the Machine<\/a>, the new clip featuring singer Florence Welch shouting her angst into the dirt is actually a great sign.<\/p>\n Though Welch has not yet announced it, admirers of the band believe the primal scream video is part of the ramping-up promotion for the group\u2019s as-yet-unannounced follow-up to 2022\u2019s Dance Fever<\/em> album.<\/p>\n More from Billboard<\/strong><\/p>\n The howl into the void teaser comes after F+TM began to spark speculation about a new LP last month via a series of cryptic images<\/a> titled \u201ctoil and trouble.\u201d The first slide in the post had a heading of \u201cOctober\u201d above a Bosch-like image of a naked woman kneeling in the dirt under a full moon. It was followed by a pic of Welch working with IDLES guitarist Mark Bowen in the studio, a whiteboard with the message \u201cYou can have it all,\u201d followed by the list of terms: \u201cClarity \u2014\u00a0Power, Purpose, Vocals!!!, Space, Dynamics, Beauty, Swans vs. Adele.\u201d<\/p>\n The carousel also spotlighted philosopher Simon Critchley\u2019s 2024 book about the transformative experience of mysticism, On Mysticism: The Experience of Ecstacy<\/em>, a sheet of paper with the words \u201cwitchcraft, folk horror, mysticism, magic, poetry and insanity\u201d scrawled on it and a page from the 1926 satirical English novel Lolly Willowes<\/em>.<\/p>\n A follow-up post<\/a> on July 17 included a glam shot of the singer smiling in one of her signature flowy dresses, the trailer to the classic Mia Farrow 1968 horror flick Rosemary\u2019s Baby<\/em>, the cover of the book The Truth About Witchcraft Today<\/em>, a shot of a pile of books including Sylvia Plath\u2019s landmark novel, The Bell Jar<\/em>, as well as the Penguin Book of Spiritual Verses<\/em>, a clip from the sex horror film It Follows<\/em> and other spooky images.<\/p>\n The tease continued over the weekend with a post titled \u201cDrink Deep<\/a>,\u201d comprised of the sign for the Drink Deep Tavern (established 1667), a brief clip of a four-woman choir recording backing vocals, the cover of Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology<\/em> and what appeared to be a clutch of lyrics that presaged the hole shouting: \u201cThrust my fists in the ground\/ And the earth made a moaning sound\/ I could feel something shudder\/ Deeper, deeper down.\u201d<\/p>\n The speculation about the new album has been accompanied by a recent revamp of the band\u2019s official website<\/a>, which was wiped and updated with a landing page spotlighting a cryptic rune featuring two capital T\u2019s along with four surrounding moon phases over a picture of a windswept field.<\/p>\n At press time a spokesperson for Welch had not returned Billboard<\/em>\u2018s request for additional information on the teaser posts.<\/p>\n Check out Welch\u2019s dirt shouting video below.<\/p>\n Best of Billboard<\/strong><\/p>\n Sign up for Billboard’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n