Flower of the Soul
| Flower of the Soul | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 28 June 2024 | |||
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| Length | 38:41 | |||
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| Liana Flores chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
 Flower of the Soul (Full Bloom) | ||||
| Singles from Flower of the Soul | ||||
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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.
Background and recording
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]
Production and composition
Overview
Flower of the Soul is primarily a bossa nova and folk-pop album. Liana Flores stated on an Instagram story that, during the making of the album, she was influenced by Vashti Bunyan, João Gilberto, Linda Perhacs, Pentangle, Joyce, Nara Leão, and Nick Drake, in addition to psychedelic folk, sunshine pop, and Brazilian jazz.[5] Annie Parnell of Flood Magazine also compared the music to jazz pop by Astrud Gilberto and Laufey.[6][7] Flores also said that Romanticism, flower power, nature poetry, fairytales, and fairies had a large impact.[8] Flores stated that one of the themes of the album is "transience" as "many of the songs live in fleeting moments, as flowers do". "[T]he question of what changes and remains during times of transformation" was also another concept.[4][9]
Songs
"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]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [15] |
| Uncut | |
| WhyNow | [10] |
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]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Liana Flores. All tracks are produced by Liana Flores and Noah Georgeson.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hello Again" | 4:13 |
| 2. | "Orange-Coloured Day" | 2:48 |
| 3. | "Nightvisions" | 3:56 |
| 4. | "Crystalline" | 4:39 |
| 5. | "Now and Then" | 4:56 |
| 6. | "Halfway Heart" | 3:45 |
| 7. | "When the Sun..." | 0:18 |
| 8. | "I Wish for the Rain" | 2:31 |
| 9. | "Cuckoo" | 3:05 |
| 10. | "Butterflies" (featuring Tim Bernardes) | 5:22 |
| 11. | "Slowly" | 3:03 |
| Total length: | 38:41 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Borrow Mine" | 2:23 |
| 13. | "Strangest Shapes" | 3:21 |
| Total length: | 44:25 | |
Notes
- All tracks are stylized in sentence case.
References
- ^ Solomon-Brady, Harvey (25 September 2024). "'I'll imagine what fairies would be dancing to and try to put that to song.' | Liana Flores interviewed". WhyNow. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ Zwick, Hannah (15 May 2024). "Liana Flores Announces Debut Album Flower of the Soul". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ a b c "Liana Flores - Live in Berlin". Trinity Music (in German). Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Instagram story by Liana Flores". Instagram. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
- ^ a b Martin, Isabella (15 May 2024). "Liana Flores drops captivating single 'Nightvisions' ahead of debut album". WhyNow. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ Parnell, Annie (27 June 2024). "Liana Flores, Flower of the Soul". Flood. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ Williams, Sophie (11 July 2024). ""Love songs for the natural world": Liana Flores makes a sublime debut". NME. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ David, Laura (8 July 2024). "Liana Flores is on the rise | Interview". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ "Instagram story by Liana Flores". Instagram. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
- ^ a b c Solomon-Brady, Harvey (28 June 2024). "Flower of the Soul review | Liana Flores blossoms on debut album". WhyNow. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ a b Hussain, Shahzaib (15 May 2024). "Liana Flores Announces Debut Album Flower of the Soul". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ McArthur, Amanda (15 May 2024). "Liana Flores "Nightvisions" Lyrics Meaning Interview". www.sweetyhigh.com. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ Pappis, Konstantinos (16 May 2024). "Liana Flores Announces Debut Album Flower of the Soul, Shares New Single". Our Culture. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ Armstrong, Sam (1 July 2024). "Liana Flores Shares Debut LP, Flower of the Soul". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ a b Monger, Timothy. "Flower of the Soul - Liana Flores". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
