Flower of the Soul (stylized in sentence case) is the debut studio album by British-Brazilian singer-songwriter Liana Flores,released on 28 June 2024 through Verve and Fiction. It follows her 2019 extended play Recently. Tim Bernardes of the band O Terno contributes a guest appearance. The album was supported by three singles,"I Wish for the Rain","Nightvisions",and "Orange-Coloured Day". A deluxe version of the album,Flower of the Soul (Full Bloom),was released on 25 October 2024.
Liana Flores released her first EP The Water's Fine! in 2018 and her second EP Recently in 2019. The song "rises the moon" off the latter record went viral in 2021 and led her to sign with Verve Records.[1][2] She was inspired to make the album by her time in nature while studying zoology at the University of St Andrews. Flores was inspired to call the album Flower of the Soul from a fortune cookie that said "imagination is the eye of the soul",which reminded her of a lyric from the Kate Bush song "Moving","You crush the lily in my soul".[3][4]
"Orange-Coloured Day" describes the beauty of nature over a piano melody and guitar.[3][10] Shahzaib Hussain of Clash described "Nightvisions" as a "folky lamentation building to a string-laden crescendo" influenced by Gothic fiction where someone tries to be romantic but ends up seeming delusional while chasing love.[5][11][12] In "Crystalline",Flores reminisces her solitary walks on the beach while studying at St Andrews. Flores talks about the companionship of loneliness on "Now and Then",while "Halfway Heart" has a samba rhythm and is about the precariousness of an early relationship. "I Wish for the Rain" is inspired by classic jazz and describes a market stroll in the rain.[3]
Release and promotion
Liana Flores released the first single of the album,"I Wish for the Rain",on 24 April 2024. It was her first solo song in nearly four years since she released the non-album single "Sign" in November 2020,and her second song overall since that time,with her only release in between being in March 2024,as a feature on "My Heart's Not In It" by Matt Maltese. Flores announced the release of Flower of the Soul on 15 May and shared the single "Nightvisions".[11] Its music video was directed by Angela Ricciardi.[13] After the album's release,she promoted the album by performing at Rough Trade Records stores. Flores later embarked on a North American and European tour.[14]
The album received positive reviews. Writing for AllMusic,Timothy Monger gave the album four out of five stars,saying that the album felt both retro and fresh in a significant leap forward for Flores.[15] John Lewis of Uncut gave the album four our of five stars. Harvey Solomon-Brady,writing for WhyNow,gave the album four out of five stars,praising the production. He also affirmed that it was a quality debut that followed-up her virality.[10]
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