A new subculture is emerging in London, alternative, gothic, eerily beautiful in ambience and designed with the metaphysical in mind, at the eye of this brewing storm lies Florence Rose, a budding artist building her musical empire one ethereal release at a time blending shoegaze, dream-pop and everything in between.
Those who caught on early may have been lucky enough to land themselves a spot at one of her live shows, taking place in quaint venues across the city. Dimly lit rooms fragranced with earthy incense and decorated with candles house her usual crowd of attendees adorned in vintage, fishnets and a whole load of lace eager to offer a few hours of their time to listen to Florence’s siren-like songs that suck you right into her parallel universe.
As for anyone who’s caught a severe case of FOMO after reading this and is desperately looking to acclimatise themselves, we suggest checking out her recent feature starring in The Great Frog x Dr. Marten’s collaborative campaign, as the counterculture fashion powerhouses join forces on a gritty get-together of London’s most notable anti-mainstream icons, giving her latest single ‘Until We Die‘ a listen and settling yourself in for five minutes with Florence Rose as walks us through her mystical world…
We’re catching you just after the release of your new single ‘Until We Die’ tell us a bit about the track…
Until We Die is a love story between a girl and a fox, set on a snowy mountain. It’s a tale of lust and yearning, with what you long for always being just slightly out of reach.
How would you describe the vibe of ‘Until We Die’ and what themes were you looking to dig into with the vocals?
Oh, it’s feral, my most feral so far. Think fire, mud, earth, partial nudity. I’ve actually combined many of my initial ideas that birthed this project. It’s been really great to bring them all together for the final music video of the EP project. Sonically this track definitely calls for something a little more playful, and that comes through in the lyrics. I think it’s my most ‘sexy’ song, the demo was called Sexy Mountain for the longest time… until I realised that maybe that was a bit too unserious.
Your music focuses heavily on divine feminine connection, spirituality, desire and nature, how do you recommend fans get the full experience when listening to ‘Until We Die’ for the first time?
Find yourself a spot, outdoors preferably in the grass. Lie down, with your back to the sky and press your body to the earth. Breathe and listen.
Your creative direction has an animalistic and metaphorical tone to it, the focus for this release is a fox, what symbolism does this creature hold for you in the context of the ‘Until We Die’ music video?
I’ve been compared to an animal a few times, specifically in my style of communication. I’ve always been fascinated by the pure way that animals communicate. I find language to be too complex sometimes. And the fox, the fox is a lover, a forbidden love, an unrequited love or a toxic love.
Speaking of you have a history as a filmmaker and director, how has this impacted your music career and the visual world you’re creating around it?
Making music is always so visual to me. My approach has changed just as I have less time to work on a long-form project, I’m doing a lot more short-form visuals at the moment which is a completely different process. But the themes are always the same, the animalistic, the feminine, pain, lust and love.
Moving on to other projects, we hear you’ve got a debut EP in the works, any secrets you can let us in before it releases later this year?
It’s quite a nice lengthy EP, around the 30-minute mark, with quite a few unreleased tracks that I’m very excited to share. I’m also planning some more fun things in London to celebrate the release!
We’re starting to see a subculture emerge around your music, how would you describe Florence Rose listeners?
Oooo I always say hot girls, ethereal girls, girls that love God. But obviously, that doesn’t just include cis girls, it’s just an energy.
Speaking of counterculture, in the midst of making music and prepping for your EP, you’ve recently starred in a campaign for Dr. Martens x The Great Frog, how do these two brands align with your world?
Dr. Martens is sooo Tumblr resurgence for me, and I said this around my first ever song release but I hope to bring back some of those good nostalgic parts of Tumblr with my music project, particularly in the visuals. The Great Frog too, has that heavy gothic but sleek feel to their brand, which I love. Mixing those kind of accessories with soft white lace material makes for a fun contrast.
Dr. Martens and The Great Frog are at the centre of alt-fashion culture, which is in touch with your own taste, what’s your favourite piece from the collection and how will you be styling it?
I love the creepers, very cute with a pair of frayed and distressed jeans.
The collection was created with the concept of fluid, unrelenting self-expression at its core, what’s one thing you’re never willing to compromise on when it comes to conveying yourself to the world?
My words, lyrics but also just any message I’m putting out. I truly cannot share anything that literally says something I don’t stand behind.
Dr. Martens and The Great Frog have been dressing anti-mainstream icons for decades from the Sex Pistols to Led Zeppelin, which legacies from this lineage do you relate to as an artist?
Courtney Love!
The collaboration is designed for those ‘born to be different’, what’s one piece of advice you’d give to other creatives in the vein of tapping into their authentic self?
To just share your art, whatever that means to you. If you feel that it’s the right time then just share it. And you have to do it for yourself, and not care what people think of it. If you stand behind it and believe in it then that’s just a perfect piece of art and self-expression.
On a final note, for anyone hoping to catch a live performance of ‘Until We Die’ in the coming months, do you have any shows coming up and what kind of atmosphere can fans attending expect?
I’m longing to do another show, something with strings… something different. Currently building something special around this! I definitely put a lot of focus on the whole ‘experience’ of attending a show. I’ll think about all the senses, even smell, infusing the room with scents of palo santo and frankincense. For my first shows, I hated the idea of silent moments between tracks, I played short interludes throughout the set to blend everything together. This creates a nice atmosphere.
Follow Florence Rose on Instagram
www.drmartens.com/uk/en_gb/collaborations/the-great-frog
Words: Lorna Tyler and Charlee Armstrong
Dr. Martens x The Great Frog Credits:
Photographer: Jordan Core
Videographer: Lorenzo Garrido
HMUA: Nic Marilyn
Stylist: Beau Rae
Talents: Florence Rose, Comme Des Martians and Beau Rae
Press Photo Credits:
Photographer: Sydney Vaughan