Maisie Peters – ‘Florescence’ album review: After the sugar rush
Maisie Peters has been a sparkling presence hard to ignore in the pop music landscape of the past few years. One earworm riff at a time, she’s muscled her way into a canon that can often be unforgiving towards a brand like hers.
The Skinny: If you took assumptions from any of the music that the twentysomething starlet has released previously, you would picture a deeply feminised image of girlhood, glitter, and sweet pop melodies all around. Of course, that’s not inaccurate, nor is there absolutely anything wrong with it, but it’s clear that Peters’ third album, Florescence, is designed to mark a change of tune.
Personally, I remember catching Peters at a festival around three years ago, just after the release of her previous record, The Good Witch. Clearly, the wave of energy at the time was electrifying her – she’d just become the youngest ever female artist to score a number one album in the UK charts – but despite the sugar rush, I did wonder what would happen after the high.
In this sense, Peters has answered my questions directly in the form of Florescence, taking a markedly stripped-back tone from the very first moment, compared to her usual sunshine upbeatness. The opening track, ‘Mary Janes’, laments this exact position, saying truly for the record that she’s “not the coolest or the greatest in the club”.
Sure, at times the lyricism can be a little clunky. That same song goes on to comment on her “buccal fat”, while later, the track ‘Flat Earther’ compares Peters’ romance to a conspiracist, as it was “so stubborn, so dumb”. But even despite this, there’s something oddly endearing about the slightly awkward moments – it’s an imperfect womanhood, just like the lives of the audience she is trying to appeal to.
Florescence doesn’t seem like it’s overtly chasing the same chart highs as before. Instead, the course of 15 tracks provides Peters the chance to breathe, displaying the benefits of stepping away from the spotlight for a while, not least just to live her life and have the chance to mature. The effects are clear – nothing is rushed, and the ballad-esque tone of most of the songs is far more grounded because of it.
There are collaborations thrown in for good measure. Julia Michaels appears on the hooky inflexions of single ‘Kingmaker’, while Marcus Mumford takes a turn around the hazy campfire of ‘If You Let Me’. But Peters can still stand on her own two feet, with a song like ‘Houses’ reflecting a tender opus to sliding doors and roads not taken.
Peters has more than enjoyed life in the fast lane up to now, but this album is almost the realisation that putting the brakes on for a little while and looking around at the view is just as valuable. It’s somewhat warts-and-all, but Florescence proves that a pop star taking stock in a social media juggernaut age is not just possible, but actually desired.
Standout Track: ‘Houses’
The Verdict: When you talk about powerhouse vocalists, people often say that all they need is a microphone and a lightbulb to put on a show. Granted, Peters doesn’t have the decades of experience to pull that off just yet, but Florescence is clearly her leaving a question mark as to what that slower approach would mean for her own artistry. The sugar rush is gone, so this is her finding out what’s left behind.
Release Date: May 22nd, 2026 | Producer: Maisie Peters/Ian Fitchuk | Label: Gingerbread Man Records
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