Dis Cover: Flo - Access All Areas

It’s finally happening y’all. After years and three EPs (very K-pop) Flo are releasing their debut album, Access All Areas.

I have been waiting for this moment ever since they dropped “Cardboard Box”. Such a great and promising debut. But, as happy as I am for the ladies that they are finally releasing an album, I am concerned about how it will perform commercially. Because whilst there is clearly a lot of support for Flo online, this hasn’t translated into chart success for the group. And whilst I commend Flo’s team for keeping the release of music constant and the quality of it consistent since “Cardboard Box”— there doesn’t seem to be much of a marketing strategy for Flo, aside from ‘Let’s just release music’. There have been some truly great singles which haven’t been pushed or promoted, just to then be followed up in a couple of weeks with another single. And it’s resulting in none of these songs sticking in the ways in which they deserve. Their 2022 single “Losing You” had the potential to be Flo’s staple ballad-like song and cross the group over. But it was released with no real push behind it.

HENNYWAY.

This post is supposed to be about their album cover. So, let’s talk about dis cover.

Flo - Access All Areas | Universal Music

It’s a ‘yes’ from me dawg.

I feel like Renee got sabotaged a little though. I’m not sure whether it’s her dress, her pose or her hair. But she doesn’t quite pop here in the same way that Jorja and Stella do. She still looks good though.

Flo’s point of reference—both musically and visually—has been R&B girl groups of the 90s, and this album cover sells that completely. It’s very Destiny’s Child, 702 and Xscape, with a splash of TLC’s Crazy Sexy Cool.

It’s nice to see that Flo and their creative team know their references and have really done their homework. Although, this is no surprise, because their R&B-girl-group-of-the-90s vibe has been consistent since day one.

In a time of music with fun, whimsy and personality, there is absolutely a window for Flo. And hopefully, this album is the thing that takes them to the next level and makes them a part of the conversations of current music acts. One thing I’ve always liked about Flo is their music has always had a sense of humour. And if you follow them online (particularly Stella) you will see that they are a hoot and ‘very unserious’ as the kids say. Flo strike a great balance between the ‘We are bad bitches’ we got from a group like 702 and the fun we’d always see of a group like TLC. Kinda like Destiny’s Child. It’s just a shame that because of how the entertainment industry is at the moment, that we don’t have the TV shows we had during the times of Destiny’s Child, 702 and TLC—where Flo can really let their personalities shine.

But, back to the album cover. I really like it. Yes, bitch.

Flo’s debut album Access All Areas releases on 15 November. But until then, a moment of silence for “Losing You” and the single that never was, “Change”.

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💿 EP review: The Lead