

Though, depending on which fan you talk to, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If anything, Blue seems to be promising a regression in sound.

But Delirium went the opposite direction, embracing modern pop on the back of global number one “Love Me Like You Do.” Ellie described Halcyon as “very self-indulgent” and “the most honest record she’s ever written.” The album is a meshing of heart-wrenching storytelling and the moody electronic style that would be embodied by Billie Eilish a few years later. This sounds exactly like the follow-up that her 2012 release Halcyon promised, though not the one that 2015’s Delirium delivered. She has described Blue as something that allows people “to immerse themselves into a world of hope despite everything being so bleak.” She says that it’s about “tear through your own demons” and “free yourself from toxic relationships.” Brightest Blue, the fourth album by British pop singer Ellie Goulding, out July 17th, has been five years in the making.
