Three years and a pandemic between releases,
Niall Horan
turns the heartbreak around on his vibrant, matured
The Show
. His third full-length, the quick ten-track burst finds the former
One Direction
er in a period of positive growth, leaving his twenties behind and grounding himself in a more comfortable space where he can play with genres and have some fun. The mood is set on the irresistible opener "Heaven," a bright, life-affirming anthem that nods to
the Beach Boys
with the repeated "God only knows" and that group's trademark sunny vocal harmonies. Meanwhile, "Meltdown" and "Save My Life" amp up the energy with breezy choruses and '80s pop/rock vibrancy that's not too far off from his former bandmates
Harry Styles
' and
Louis Tomlinson
's contemporaneous output. Digging in deeper, he contemplates the passage of time and its effects on love on the tender "Never Grow Up" and dips into
Tame Impala
psych-groove on "If You Leave Me." Later, he slows things down with the acoustic guitar-and-harmonica "You Could Start a Cult," a sweet ode to a love that could sway the masses, and the piano-and-strings ballad "Science." The centerpiece title track is a sweeping showcase that builds atop swelling, orchestral drama, reaching a grand apex on the bridge, where
Horan
hits the most shiver-inducing vocal heights yet heard on one of his solo efforts. With each subsequent album,
just gets better and better.
is his most immediate and engaging set to date, endlessly listenable and full of heart and charm. ~ Neil Z. Yeung