Heaven – Niall Horan
★★★★☆
In easily the most anticipated single release of the week, Niall Horan released his lead single “Heaven” from his newly announced third studio album The Show. The single—his first piece of new music in almost three years—is a charming, catchy tune that perfectly throws Horan back into the realm of pop music.
Horan’s previous release Heartbreak Weather was an in-depth exploration of heartbreak and the turmoil of a breakup. In a complete subject change, Heaven explores the giddy excitement inherent to starting a new relationship. With lyrics like “You dance across the room floor / Beyond infatuation / How obsessively I adore you,” and a chorus that states, “God only knows where this could go / And even if our love starts to grow out of control / And you and me go up in flames / Heaven won’t be the same,” Horan’s happiness is shining.
The song opens with a choir—a fun nod to the song’s title—but it quickly cuts out to make room for the instrumentals typically associated with Horan’s music. The drums (particularly the bass and snare) sit quite far forward in the mix, and a simple bass line drives the beat. Interestingly, and a bit unusual for Horan, there is little to no acoustic guitar.
The song as a whole is a nice, upbeat tune from Horan. It complements the rest of his discography very well, and it certainly paints a lovely picture for the upcoming album. I can’t help but anticipate the moment this song is played live. The soaring chorus will certainly be a beautiful live moment.