Niall Horan’s third solo album, The Show, was released last week worldwide! Horan’s previous album, Heartbreak Weather, was released in March of 2020, so fans have been eagerly awaiting some new music.
Let’s take a look at each track of The Show.
Heaven
The album starts off with “Heaven”, Niall’s debut single for the album. Complete with a hooking guitar riff to start off and some added drums, the single sets the tone for what we should expect from the rest of the album. The chorus is catchy and easy to sing along to, with an ethereal backing vocal.
If You Leave Me
“If You Leave Me” also starts upbeat, and you find yourself nodding and dancing to it. The chorus again, is catchy and smartly written, and Niall’s falsetto on “If you ever leave me,” is beautiful. The bridge takes over with the bass line, making it stand out amongst the rest of the song.
Meltdown
“Meltdown” is another single off of the album, and it’s a more fast-paced song that you can easily dance around to, or blast on a drive down the road with the windows down. There’s a very distinct style that Niall is setting, and each song on the album so far continues to impress.
Never Grow Up
Lyrically, this is one of the best songs on the album. It’s such a sweet message, and you can easily see this turning into someone’s wedding song. Again, lyrically, this shows just how much Niall has grown in the last few years since Heartbreak Weather.
The Show
The title song of the album, it’s slower than I would have expected it, but I think it only accentuates the message of the song. The melodies flow seamlessly together as the music swells into the second verse. The song continues to build in a beautiful melody, and the key change in the bridge really brings the whole thing home.
You Could Start A Cult
The song starts out much softer, with solely an acoustic guitar as the music. It starts out like a lullaby and brings it back to those early Flicker days. The lyrics are so sweet, and it’s going to be hard for this to not be one of the fans’ favorite songs of the album.
Save My Life
“Save My Life” starts out almost reminiscent of an 80’s tune, and picks right back up after the soft sounds of “You Could Start A Cult”. The break in the chorus makes it seem like a punch, and the falsettos again in the chorus are unreal.
On A Night Like Tonight
This song feels like a dream. Between the melody and the lyrics, it’s soft, yet again, ethereal and Niall has never sounded better. The guitars finally kick in towards the middle of the song, taking it to a whole new level. It’s a song that I find myself singing long after it’s over.
Science
The way “Science” starts off almost like a chorus is so captivating, and the song being mostly piano-backed is so beautiful and different from the rest of the album. Niall’s voice really shines here with most of the background production stripped away at first and this song especially speaks to his growth.
Must Be Love
The Show closes out with “Must Be Love”, which is an upbeat ballad that feels like the perfect way to close out the album. It’s one that you can sing along to on the chorus of “La, la, la, la, la, love,” and it’s one song that you can see him performing live and getting the crowd to sing along to.
As you listen to The Show, it’s easy to see how much Niall has grown — both lyrically and musically. He leans more into the Heartbreak Weather style versus his debut album, Flicker, with a new sense of maturity. While Heartbreak Weather was heavily influenced by heartbreak and weathering the storms of relationships, The Show is more upbeat and explores stories of love and not wanting to live without someone. His voice has grown immensely, and it’s easy to see how he’s taking chances with different falsettos and beats that accentuate that. Overall, The Show is his best album yet.
You can stream and purchase The Show on Spotify and other available platforms, and make sure to check out upcoming tour dates for Niall’s tour, here.
