Higher than Heaven [Deluxe Edition]

by Ellie Goulding

Overview

For anyone who prefers Ellie Goulding on the dancefloor, Higher than Heaven is a welcome return to that space. Her fifth full-length and follow-up to 2020's Brightest Blue, this tightly packed set of synth-washed, neon bangers eschews the deep introspection and personal slant of its predecessor, barreling headlong into the club in search of healing through euphoria and release. Described by the artist as her "least personal" album to date, Heaven focuses on pure thrills and escapism like similarly reactive COVID-era energizers from Dua Lipa, Kylie Minogue, and Ava Max. The album's catchiest moments are produced by Koz (Dua Lipa, Lykke Li, Lights), who plucks the most addictive textures from across the decades -- disco, '80s pop, and '90s house -- for highlights such as "Midnight Dreams," "Cure for Love," the throbbing "Like a Saviour," and the shimmering title track. Meanwhile, "By the End of the Night" strikes an ideal balance between Goulding's fun and melancholy sides, delivering a yearning yet uncertain early peak. Elsewhere, both the hazy "Love Goes On" and the strutting "Easy Lover" with Big Sean benefit from warm R&B smoothness courtesy of co-writer/producer Greg Kurstin, just as the sensual "Waiting for It" dives deeper into sweaty slow jam territory. Heaven's most intense moment arrives in the second half with the standout single "Let It Die," an urgent earworm about a tragic split that finds the resolve to move on atop an infectious beat and Goulding's most impassioned, anguished performance here. One of her strongest albums to date, Higher than Heaven falls somewhere between the commercial blitz of Delirium and the fearless, electronic heart of Halcyon. While it may not cull from her deep well of personal experiences, Heaven still ends up being one of the most immediate and compulsively listenable efforts in her catalog. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

Product Details

Release Date:	04/07/2023
Label:	Interscope / Polydor
UPC:	0602448146250
Rank:	8314

Tracks

1. Midnight Dreams
2. Cure for Love
3. By the End of the Night
4. Like a Saviour
5. Love Goes On
6. Easy Lover
7. Higher than Heaven
8. Let It Die
9. Waiting for It
10. Just for You
11. How Long
12. Temptation
13. Intuition
14. Tastes Like You
15. Better Man
16. All by Myself

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ellie Goulding   Primary Artist,Vocals
Sigala   Primary Artist
Alok   Primary Artist
Big Sean   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals
Trey Campbell   Vocals (Background)
Louise Chambers   Vocals (Background)
OHYES   Bass,Drums,Keyboards
Glen Garth   Vocals (Background),Bass,Drums,Synthesizer
Phil Garth   Bass,Drums,Synthesizer,Vocals (Background)
Jesse Shatkin   Synthesizer,Bass,Drums,Keyboards,Percussion
Matthew Brown   Drums
Margorette Muzangaza   Vacuum Cleaner,Vocals (Background)
Iziah Yarde   Keyboards
Giampaolo Parisi   Drums,Percussion,Synthesizer,Sound Effects
Ellie Stanford   Violin
Happy Perez   Keyboards
Matt Robertson   Conductor,Music Direction,Musical Director
Stephen Kozmeniuk   Bass,Drums,Guitar,Synthesizer
Maurie Kaufmann   Drums
Marco Parisi   Sound Effects,Bass,Strings,Keyboards
Bruce Fielder   Keyboards
Andrew Wells   Bass,Drums,Flute,Piano,Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion,Synthesizer
Joao Cruz   Guitar
Louis Riccardi   Guitar
Charley Bagnall   Synthesizer
Andrew Watt   Keyboards,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Todd Clark   Vocals (Background)
Amy Stanford   Viola
Greg Kurstin   Bass,Drums,Keyboards,Percussion,Synthesizer,Guitar (Electric)
Jess Cox   Cello
Lena Wright   Vocals (Background)
Lostboy   Bass,Keyboards
Charis Jensen   Violin

Technical Credits

Tayla Parx   Composer
Trey Campbell   Composer
Alok   Producer
Clem Cherry   Engineer
Samuel Dent   Engineer
Peter Rycroft   Composer
OHYES   Composer,Producer,Programming,Recording Arranger
Phil Garth   Composer
Giampaolo Parisi   Programming
Glen Garth   Composer
Tom Mann   Composer
Ellie Goulding   Composer
Alex Pasco   Engineer
Maureen McDonald   Composer
Happy Perez   Producer,Recording Arranger
Randy Merrill   Mastering Engineer
Nick Ingram   Mixing,Engineer
Jesse Shatkin   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Julia Michaels   Composer
Stephen Kozmeniuk   Composer
Kristian Donaldson   Engineer
Sean Anderson   Composer
Matt Tuggle   Engineer
Andrew Wells   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Recording,Programming
Sigala   Producer
Jussifer   Composer
Ali Tamposi   Composer
Brian Lee   Composer
Tom Kahre   Engineer
Alok Petrillo   Composer
Luke Gibbs   Assistant Engineer
Jack Patterson   Composer,Engineer
Julian Burg   Engineer
Jesper Kragh Nielsen   Engineer
Freddy Sheed   Drum Programming
Dom Ganderton   Assistant Engineer
Sam Skirrow   Producer
Andrew Watt   Composer,Producer,Recording Arranger
Joe Kearns   Vocal Engineer
Marco Parisi   Programming
Serban Ghenea   Mixing
Chris Gehringer   Mastering Engineer
Anthony Rossomando   Composer
Martin Gore   Composer
Greg Kurstin   Composer,Engineer,Producer
Nathan Perez   Composer
Matty Green   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
The 23rd   Producer
Andrea Rocha   Composer
Koz   Producer,Vocal Producer
Bryce Bordone   Mixing Assistant
One Mix Mastering   Mixing,Mastering Engineer
Lostboy   Mixing,Producer,Programming,Drum Programming
Jon Yeston   Assistant Engineer
PARISI   Producer
Claude Vause   Assistant Engineer