Higher Than Heaven is the fifth studio album by English singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding,released on 7 April 2023 by Polydor Records.[3][4] It marks her first album in three years,since Brightest Blue (2020).
The record was preceded by the singles "Easy Lover","Let It Die","Like a Saviour" and "By the End of the Night",and was met with moderate commercial success,debuting at number-one on Scotland and the United Kingdom.[5] It became Goulding's fourth chart-topping album on the later,making Goulding tie with Adele as the two British female artists with the most number-one albums in UK history.
Higher Than Heaven received generally positive reviews from music critics. Several critics praised Goulding's honesty after calling it "her least personal album yet",with many critics stating that her statement worked in her favour,as well valuing the singer focus of bringing back escapist pop as "refreshing" and "fun".[6][7][8]
Background and development
The album was written in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,according to Goulding:"There was definitely a darkness about [the past two years] that was palpable in the studio,with everyone having gone through it differently. I think for that reason,nobody wanted to sit and agonise over some relationship or some drama. So that's how this album came together."[9]
Goulding expressed that in contrast to her previous 2020 album Brightest Blue,the album is her "least personal album." She elaborated "...I think it's the best album because I got to just explore other things about myself. I just really,really enjoy writing,really enjoy being a singer. [It] was such a relief and really refreshing to not be sitting in the studio going through all the things that happened to me and affected me. Because I feel things very deeply."[10]
Release and promotion
On 19 October 2022,Goulding announced the album's title and revealed its artwork cover,with an initial release date of 3 February 2023.[11] However,on 9 January 2023,Goulding announced an initial delay to 24 March,stating "...we've had some exciting opportunities appear behind the scenes."[12][13] On 28 February,she announced a second delay to 7 April;stating issues with sourcing eco-friendly material for the album's physical formats.[14][15]
On 31 March,Goulding released the songs "Midnight Dreams","Cure for Love","Love Goes On" and "Higher Than Heaven" on digital platforms in conjunction with her appearance on the Amazon Freevee concert film Monumental;making the first 8 tracks of the album available.[16][17][18][19]
On 7 April,the day of the album's release,Goulding released a music video for "Better Man",directed by Tom Sandford.[20][21]
In support of the album, Goulding announced European dates for the Higher Than Heaven Tour:[22] She also announced shows in the United States, accompanied by an orchestra.[23]
Set list This set list is taken from the show at 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Ireland on 16 October 2023.[24] It does not represent all shows on this tour.
Higher Than Heaven received generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from professional critics, the album received a weighted average score of 77, based on seven reviews - Goulding's highest-rated album of her career.[26] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave the album a 6.7 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[25]
Katie Bain from Billboard praised Goulding decision of "trading straightforward confessions for slick, textural dance pop and lyrical sweet nothings about dim lights and easy lovers", stating that Goulding "delivered one of her best (and most club-friendly) albums to date". As well dubbing Goulding as "one of the defining voices of dance music over the last decade".[31]
Tomás Mier for Rolling Stone praised Goulding decision of making a "fun, escapist pop" record that "remind listeners of Goulding’s pop prowess", instead of going into an introspective route like most of her peers did in recent years.[32]
Higher Than Heaven was named one of the best albums of the year by Rolling Stone,[32] and Billboard,[31] on their mid-year lists.
In the United Kingdom, Higher Than Heaven debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, shifting 11,818 album-equivalent units in its first week, the lowest of any of her albums.[5] It became Goulding's fourth chart-topping album in the country, tying with Adele as the two British female artists with the most number one albums.[35] In the same week, her single "Miracle", a collaboration with Calvin Harris, reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, earning Goulding her first "chart double", although "Miracle" does not feature on Higher Than Heaven.[5][35][36]Higher Than Heaven only spent two weeks on the UK Album Charts, becoming her shortest running album, to date. In the second week, the album dropped from number one to number 84 making it one of the few number-one albums to spend only one week in the top 75.[37][38] In Scotland, the album also debuted at number one on the Scottish Albums Chart, becoming her second chart-topper, and first since Halcyon (2012).[39] The record had a better chart-running staying on the charts from three weeks inside the top 75. Meanwhile, In Ireland, the record became Goulding's lowest charting album to date, and her first effort to miss the top-ten, peaking at number 97 on the Irish Album Chart.[40]
In the United States, Higher Than Heaven debuted at number 125 on the Billboard 200, becoming Goulding's lowest charting effort, to date.[41]
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