Seraphina Lotkhamnga on September 14th, 2011

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Florence + the Machine are building up to releasing a follow-up to their highly-regarded album, “Lungs,” but the first two tracks they’ve handed out show no sign of a sophomore slump. If anyone fell for Florence Welch’s dramatic flair on the previous record, it sounds like she has tightened her skill for straddling the ethereal and theatric. In comparison to the teaser single, “What the Water Gave Me,” the official lead single off of “Ceremonials” (slated for a Nov. 1 release via Universal Republic) is much more of a orchestral pop number. Instead of choral chants and harp sprinkling this arrangement, “Shake It Out,” follows a composition similar to one which made “Dog Days Are Over” a chart-climber. Recorded in London at Abbey Road Studios, producer Paul Epworth (Adele, Bloc Party, the Rapture) also feels rather strong about forthcoming album which is “more stripped down” but also “much heavier.”

||| Stream: “Shake It Out”

||| Watch: Take a listen to the first single while you watch “What the Water Gave Me” after the jump.