Buckle (Florence and the Machine song)
| "Buckle" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Florence and the Machine | ||||
| from the album Everybody Scream | ||||
| Released | October 31, 2025 | |||
| Studio | Long Pond Studio | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:23 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers | ||||
| Florence and the Machine singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Buckle" on YouTube | ||||
"Buckle" is a song by Florence and the Machine released as the fourth single for their sixth album, Everybody Scream. The song was released with the album on 31 October 2025, coinciding with Halloween, before being released as a fourth single for the album on 4 November 2026.[3] Considered a fan favourite on the album, "Buckle" was written by Florence Welch along with Mitski and produced with Aaron Dessner. Musically, "Buckle" is an acoustic guitar driven chamber folk song with little instrumentation that describes toxic relationships, insecurity and vulnerability.[4]
Background
Everybody Scream was released on 31 October 2025 with its three prior singles, "Everybody Scream", "One of the Greats" and "Sympathy Magic". The album charted #1 in the UK singles chart and was a commercial success.[5] Fans highlighted "Buckle" as a favourite, citing its emotional, human nature of a song. The song was later released as a fourth, post-album single on 4 November 2025. A music video was released, directed by Autumn de Wilde, who has collaborated with the band with many of its previous music videos, including the three music videos for the previous singles for Everybody Scream.
Lyrics and composition
"Buckle" describes a painful, one-sided, toxic relationship that incites vulnerability and insecurity in the singer. The central line "I'm still hanging off the buckle on your belt" describes how one member of the relationships needs its survival more than the other, highlighting its one-sidedness. The songs meaning contrasts the themes of the album, which explores themes of folk horror, power, evil, mysticism and witchcraft. Unlike many songs on the album, "Buckle" explores a more human side to the singer that still shows weakness, unlike many songs on the album.[6]
Live performances
"Buckle" was debuted alongside 5 other songs from the Everybody Scream album on the 6th of February 2026 on the opening night of the Everybody Scream Tour, "Witch Dance", "You Can Have It All", "Music By Men", "The Old Religion" and "And Love". Since "Buckle" is thematically and sonically similar to "Music By Men", the song is performed before the other.[7]
Music video
The music video for "Buckle" was directed by Autumn de Wilde who has worked with the band on many of its videos, including"Everybody Scream", "One of the Greats" and "Sympathy Magic". It depicts Welch in a jewel-embedded mesh veil singing the song emotionally into a microphone.[8]
Charts
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[9] | 75 |
References
- ^ "Buckle". RYM. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ "Buckle". Shazam. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ "Florence + the Machine - Buckle". Album of The Year. Retrieved 2026-02-22.
- ^ "Florence + The Machine - Everybody Scream". The Needle Drop. 2025-11-06. Retrieved 2026-02-22.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (2025-11-14). "Florence + the Machine's 'Everybody Scream' Debuts at No. 1 on 6 Billboard Album Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-02-22.
- ^ "Florence + The Machine - Everybody Scream". The Needle Drop. 2025-11-06. Retrieved 2026-02-22.
- ^ "Florence + the Machine Setlist at The SSE Arena Belfast, Belfast". setlist.fm. Retrieved 2026-02-22.
- ^ FlorenceMachineVEVO (2025-11-04). Florence + The Machine - Buckle. Retrieved 2026-02-22 – via YouTube.
- ^ "BUCKLE". Official Charts. 2025-11-20. Retrieved 2026-02-22.