Ellie Goulding has released her fifth studio album and it’s nothing shy of perfection. Bringing together eighteen gorgeous and uplifting tracks, Goulding’s versatility is impossible to question. She makes the listener’s self-esteem skyrocket and understands that they can do just fine on their own.
Kicking off the album with Start we hear an applaud from what we can assume as Ellie’s live concert. Transitioning into a beautiful and slightly jazzy piano part, this bittersweet love song sets the tone for the rest of the album; following the same themes, we discover Goulding’s journey of acceptance.
As well as Goulding’s admirable and desirable vocal flare, her tracks demonstrate choruses so catchy that you are humming them for hours on end. Power, Tides and Close To Me are just a few examples of this; all upbeat tracks, impossible to stop yourself from singing from the top of your lungs and dancing like no-one’s watching.
Ellie’s ability to switch between fun tracks to piano ballads with stirring choir moments and elegant violins is breath-taking. Brightest Blue and Woman do this perfectly whilst New Heights incorporates hints of Jhene Aiko’s R&B passion alongside a Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack. With similar energy to Love I’m Given, this empowering anthem makes everyone listening feel like they can rule the world and give up any toxicity in their life. Adding onto that feeling that you are on top of the world, Goulding only heightens this with Hate Me which features Juice WRLD. A darker song with the same energy, realising that although someone may look like they have moved on from you, you know in your heart that their new life couldn’t possibly match up. Everyone loves to know their ex has downgraded, and this song surely shows it.
Whilst we are seeing all sides of Ellie Goulding in this album, she seems to be following the trend in modern day pop music by adding in interludes to divide up songs. Despite these interludes being nice to listen to, whether they are necessary or not is another question. Sometimes the atmosphere of these short pieces doesn’t fit perfectly with the surrounding songs and can feel a bit of a waste of time.
Nevertheless, Ellie Goulding has pulled it out the bag with this album and never fails to disappoint. Her versatility, songwriting ability and vocal capability is what makes her so successful and pretty much every track in this album could potentially be a competitor for a number 1 slot on the charts.
Score: 4.5/5
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