Album Review: Flor – come out. you’re hiding
The dark room buzzes with undeniable excitement as a crowd forms, awaiting Flor’s entrance on stage. The audience nods as the group begins their set, smiles mirrored from both the band and the fans swaying along with the catchy hooks. The music is intriguing, electric, and quirky enough to make everyone present feel like they’ve arrived early to something special — a band that has what it takes to make it big.
Whether you’ve never heard of the group or you’ve been following along since they signed with Fueled by Ramen, Flor is gaining traction with their electric bops that fans of the label can relate to after headlining all over the country and touring with acts like Halsey and Walk the Moon. Synthetic 80s/90s vibes resemble Paramore’s latest After Laughter and lead into occasional rock riffs reminiscent of Twenty One Pilots’ “Semi-Automatic” or “Screen” (check out “spoiled”).
But this band finds its niche in their unique lyrics infused with whimsy and delivered with honesty. No fancy light shows, crazy visuals, or overpowering displays — the four members of the band stay true to their strengths, and their love for music is contagious. Lead singer Zachary Grace sings from a place of honesty and vulnerability, including unique, narrative details in his lyrics that tell stories of love, youth, fleeting moments, and self-discovery.
The entire tracklist of “come out. you’re hiding” is worth a listen. “guarded” opens the record with a juxtaposition of loneliness and purpose as Zach acknowledges his tendency to fear silence while also putting up walls. It’s followed by “warm blood”, my favorite on the record, which boasts age-defiant love, riddled in metaphors that allegedly originated from a video game, according to lead guitarist McKinley Kitts via Twitter.
“heart” is deceptively happy considering its deep questioning of confused intentions and growing apart, contrasted with the desire not to hurt anyone. But their biggest hit so far, “hold on”, has garnered more than 12 million streams on Spotify with the lyrics “In your skin I’m tangled up/ In my head, in my mind, I can’t get out/ when you twist and turn, teach me to run”.
Indie-pop fans tired of the often cookie-cutter genre will find relief in Flor’s originality and alternative rock, yet electric vibes that can’t be summarized by just one label. Though their debut album came out just over a year ago, bassist and producer Dylan Bauld shared a video of himself back in the studio, with bandmates joking about leaking new music. The band’s account also posted about all four guys working on new music.
Come out, Flor, we aren’t hiding our excitement about this second album.
You can stream “come out. you’re hiding” in its entirety below:
Written by Katelyn Holm
