Higher Than Heaven
Higher Than Heaven | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 7 April 2023 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 36:42 | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Producer |
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Ellie Goulding chronology | ||||
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Singles from Higher Than Heaven | ||||
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Higher Than Heaven is the fifth studio album by English singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding, released on 7 April 2023[3] by Polydor Records.[4] It was preceded by the singles "Easy Lover", "Let It Die", "Like a Saviour" and "By The End of the Night".[5] It is her first album in three years, since Brightest Blue (2020).
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.[6]
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."[7]
Release & 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.[8] However on 9 January 2023, Goulding announced an initial delay to 24 March, stating "...we’ve had some exciting opportunities appear behind the scenes."[9][5] On February 28, she announced a second delay to 7 April; stating issues with sourcing eco-friendly material for the album's physical formats.[10][11]
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 series Monumental; making the first 8 tracks of the album available.[12][13][14][15]
On 7 April, the day of the album's release, Goulding released a music video for "Better Man", directed by Tom Sandford.[16][17]
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 6.6/10[18] |
Metacritic | 78/100[19] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [20] |
The Times | [1] |
The Daily Telegraph | [2] |
NME | [21] |
Evening Standard | [22] |
Clash Magazine | [23] |
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 78, based on six reviews.[19] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave the album a 6.6 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[18]
Tour
Tour by Ellie Goulding | |
Location | Europe |
---|---|
Associated album | Higher Than Heaven |
Start date | 16 October 2023 |
End date | 7 November 2023 |
Legs | 1 |
No. of shows | 12 |
Ellie Goulding concert chronology |
In support of the album, Goulding announced European dates for the Higher Than Heaven Tour:[24]
Date | City | Country | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
October 16, 2023 | Dublin | Ireland | 3Olympia Theatre |
October 18, 2023 | Glasgow | Scotland | Barrowland Ballroom |
October 19, 2023 | Newcastle | England | O2 City Hall Newcastle |
October 20, 2023 | Manchester | Manchester Academy | |
October 23, 2023 | Birmingham | O2 Institute Birmingham | |
October 24, 2023 | London | The Roundhouse | |
October 27, 2023 | Paris | France | Bataclan |
October 30, 2023 | Utrecht | Netherlands | TivoliVredenburg |
October 31, 2023 | Brussels | Belgium | Cirque Royale |
November 2, 2023 | Milan | Italy | Fabrique |
November 6, 2023 | Cologne | Germany | E-Werk |
November 7, 2023 | Berlin | Huxleys Neue Welt |
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Midnight Dreams" |
|
| 3:12 |
2. | "Cure for Love" |
|
| 2:57 |
3. | "By the End of the Night" |
| Koz | 3:08 |
4. | "Like a Saviour" |
|
| 3:40 |
5. | "Love Goes On" |
| Kurstin | 3:52 |
6. | "Easy Lover" (featuring Big Sean) |
| Kurstin | 3:35 |
7. | "Higher Than Heaven" |
|
| 3:29 |
8. | "Let It Die" |
| Lostboy | 2:46 |
9. | "Waiting for It" |
| Shatkin | 3:19 |
10. | "Just for You" |
| Kurstin | 3:06 |
11. | "How Long" |
|
| 3:38 |
Total length: | 36:42 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
12. | "Temptation" |
| Wells | 3:03 |
13. | "Intuition" |
| Kurstin | 3:12 |
14. | "Tastes Like You" |
| Wells | 3:12 |
15. | "Better Man" |
| 2:52 | |
16. | "All by Myself" (with Alok and Sigala) |
| 2:52 | |
Total length: | 51:53 |
Notes
Personnel
Musicians
- Ellie Goulding – vocals (all tracks)
- Glen Garth – background vocals (1, 7); bass guitar, drums, synthesizer (7)
- Phil Garth – background vocals (1, 3); bass guitar, drums, synthesizer (1)
- Stephen Kozmeniuk – bass guitar, drums, synthesizer (1–4, 7); guitar (1–4)
- Maurie Kaufmann – drums (1, 7)
- Andrew Wells – bass guitar, drums, guitar, synthesizer (2, 4, 12, 14); piano (2, 4), flute (4), percussion (12, 14), programming (14), keyboards (16)
- Claude Vause – programming (2)
- Todd Clark – background vocals (3)
- Trey Campbell – background vocals (3)
- Greg Kurstin – bass guitar, drums, keyboards, percussion, synthesizer (5, 6, 10, 13); electric guitar (6, 10)
- Lostboy – bass guitar, drum programming, keyboards, programming (8)
- Big Sean – vocals (6)
- Jesse Shatkin – bass guitar, drums, keyboards, percussion, programming, synthesizer (9)
- Andrew Watt – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, programming (11)
- Happy Perez – keyboards, programming (11)
- Freddy Sheed – drum programming (12)
- Charley Bagnall – synthesizer (12)
- Marco Parisi – bass guitar, keyboards, programming, sound effects (15)
- Giampaolo Parisi – drums, percussion, programming, sound effects, synthesizer (15)
- Ohyes – bass guitar, drums, keyboards, programming (16)
- João Cruz – guitar (16)
- Bruce Fielder – keyboards, programming (16)
Technical
- Randy Merrill – mastering (1–15)
- One Mix Mastering – mastering, mixing (16)
- Matty Green – mixing (1, 7, 9, 14)
- Serban Ghenea – mixing (2–6, 10–13)
- Lostboy – mixing (8)
- Clem Cherry – engineering (1, 3, 7)
- Jesper Kragh Nielsen – engineering (1, 3, 7)
- Kristian Donaldson – engineering (1, 3, 7)
- Andrew Wells – engineering (2, 4, 12)
- Alex Pasco – engineering (5, 6, 10, 13)
- Greg Kurstin – engineering (5, 6, 10, 13)
- Julian Burg – engineering (5, 6, 10, 13)
- Matt Tuggle – engineering (5, 6, 10, 13)
- Tom Kahre – engineering (6)
- Jesse Shatkin – engineering (9)
- Samuel Dent – engineering (9)
- Andrew Watt – engineering (11)
- Happy Perez – engineering (11)
- Joe Kearns – vocal engineering (6)
- Bryce Bordone – mixing assistance (2–6, 10–13)
- Claude Vause – engineering assistance (2, 4, 12)
- Jon Yeston – engineering assistance (2, 4, 12)
- Dominic Ganderton – engineering assistance (2, 4)
- Luke Gibbs – engineering assistance (12, 14)
Release history
Region | Date | Format(s) | Edition(s) | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various | 7 April 2023 | Standard | Polydor | [25] | |
|
Deluxe | [26] |
References
- ^ a b Potton, Ed (7 April 2023). "Ellie Goulding: Higher Than Heaven review — sex, drugs and no personal revelations". The Times. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ a b c McCormick, Neil (7 April 2023). "Ellie Goulding brings us dance-floor delight, HMLTD is as eccentric as ever – the week's best albums". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
11 tracks of gleaming nu-disco, upgraded '80s synth pop and sleek electronic dance-music concocted with teams of established hitmakers
- ^ "Ellie Goulding pushes back release date of new album Higher Than Heaven due to sourcing issues". Official Charts Company. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ Clarke, Naomi (19 October 2022). "Ellie Goulding reveals release date for her fifth studio album". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
- ^ a b Bowenbank, Starr (10 January 2023). "Ellie Goulding Delays 'Higher Than Heaven' Album Release". Billboard. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
- ^ Skinner, Tom (20 October 2022). "Ellie Goulding announces fifth album 'Higher Than Heaven'". NME. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
- ^ Tomás Mier (23 March 2023). "Ellie Goulding Spills Secrets Behind Her New Album, Motherhood, and Her Best Unreleased Songs". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ "ELLIE GOULDING ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM "HIGHER THAN HEAVEN" OUT 3rd FEBRUARY 2023". Universal Music Canada. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ Aubrey, Elizabeth (10 January 2023). "Ellie Goulding delays release of new album 'Higher Than Heaven'". NME. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ Goulding, Ellie [@elliegoulding] (28 February 2023). "... so we've worked really hard to stick to that promise. As a result and due to delays in sourcing these products, we have to push back the release ever so slightly to April 7 just so we can get these beautiful products to you as soon as possible" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 February 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Ellie Goulding's new album Higher Than Heaven will arrive two weeks late". Official Charts Company. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ "Midnight Dreams". Spotify. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ "Cure For Love". Spotify. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ "Love Goes On". Spotify. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ "Higher Than Heaven". Spotify. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ "Ellie Goulding - Better Man". YouTube. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ "Better Man by Ellie Goulding on TIDAL". TIDAL. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Higher Than Heaven by Ellie Goulding reviews". United Kingdom: AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Higher than Heaven by Ellie Goulding". Metacritic. United States: CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ Yeung, Neil Z. (7 April 2023). "Higher Than Heaven - Ellie Goulding | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ Livine, Nick (7 April 2023). "Ellie Goulding – 'Higher Than Heaven' review: playful antidote to personal-driven pop". NME. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
{{cite web}}
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(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Ellie Goulding: Higher Than Heaven album review - only good vibes here". Evening Standard. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
{{cite web}}
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requires|archive-url=
(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Clash:Ellie Goulding: Higher Than Heaven album review". Clash Magazine. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
{{cite web}}
:|archive-date=
requires|archive-url=
(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Krol, Charlotte (30 March 2023). "Ellie Goulding announces 2023 UK and Ireland 'Higher Than Heaven' tour". NME. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ Higher Than Heaven standard release formats:
- "Higher Than Heaven Cassette #1". Ellie Goulding Store. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- "Higher Than Heaven CD". Ellie Goulding Store. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- "Higher Than Heaven Digital Album". Ellie Goulding Store. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- "Higher Than Heaven Black Vinyl". Ellie Goulding Store. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
{{cite web}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; 2 March 2023 suggested (help)
- ^ Higher Than Heaven deluxe release formats:
- "Higher Than Heaven (Deluxe) CD". Ellie Goulding Store. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- "Higher Than Heaven (Deluxe) by Ellie Goulding". Apple Music (UK). Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.