Ellie Goulding "Higher Than Heaven" Review (9.3/10)

Ellie Goulding released her fifth studio album Higher Than Heaven last week and this truly might be her best album yet. Full of heavy synths and funky percussion, the album seems to represent an evolution. Where Goulding’s previous albums had a rhythm of upbeat to solemn to something else, this album is consistently dance after dance. Each track seems made to distract and separate the listener from whatever may be going on around them - its just that immersive.

It makes sense the escapist overtones in the production of the song - as she’s not the only one making around the themes of escape and transcendence (hello Dance Fever, bonjour Renaissance). Since her last album Brightest Blue, she’s become a mother and like the rest of us, we’re all experiencing the fallout of a global pandemic. Goulding has done it particularly well though, with her pop anthems resoundingly refreshing even with their plentitude.

The album opens with “Midnight Dreams” which sets the tone going forward. Some heavy hitters are in the first half of the album including “Cure For Love”, “Love Goes On”, and lead single “Easy Lover”. Maybe there’s something about love that inspires the best music.

The misses on the album are definitely more of a personal taste. “Let It Die” didn’t feel like a good second single when it was released. I was hoping it would sound better within context of the album, but even on the album it feels like some random thing just dropped in with a roboclaw. “Waiting for It” doesn’t do much for the album either. The beats are good, but Ellie’s softer voice and the lyrics just don’t do anything for each other.

Despite that brief little hiccup of filler tracks towards the middle third, and whatever the hell “Better Man” is supposed to be, the album is continuously loaded with pop punch that is very satisfactory.

Higher Than Heaven is so good and euphoric that I actually had to pause and listen to Brightest Blue just to remember how that project made me feel. I hate to hyperbolize things and thus I waited for the euphoria to settle down and gave it a few more listens before deciding that yes, this is Ellie Goulding’s best, most consistent, work yet.