By Alyssa Serrano
Staff Writer
Niall Horan’s third album, “The Show,” was released on Friday, June 9. He began writing this album amidthe Covid-19 pandemic, showcasing the massive growth in both his writing ability and perspective of the world since his previous album “Heartbreak Weather.”
The songs “Heaven” and “Meltdown” share a couple of things in common, but the biggest things are that both songs are addicting and were released before the full album dropped. “Heaven” is an upbeat song that focuses on the importance of appreciating life and all of the beauty that surrounds us every day. The drums, the beat and Horan’s vocals all combine to create this superb song.
“Meltdown” focuses on telling the reader that even when bad things come, there will be people there offering support and standing by your side. Both songs are very comforting and share charming sentiments — they were the perfect songs to introduce this album to the world.
“If You Leave Me,” “Never Grow Up” and “Must Be Love” are my favorite songs from the album. All of these songs just feel so romantic and the vibes are absolutely immaculate. “If You Leave Me” in particular is super catchy and fun, and in my opinion, Horan’s voice really stands out in this song. “Never Grow Up” is a beautiful song about wanting love with someone that grows with them and stays true even though they change as people and grow old. It’s such a cute song and I can totally see it playing at a wedding. Throughout the song, there are also people singing “lalala” in the background and it just adds to the dreaminess of the song so well.
Horan’s song “Must Be Love” mentions how when it comes to starting a relationship with someone, you have to overcome the fear and anxieties that can come with falling for someone.
“The Show,” the titular track of the album, was written in September 2020. This song feels like the return of hope after such a dark and difficult time for everyone. Horan’s voice especially shines on the bridge of this song. The way the sound of his voice rises with the melody is so good and I’ve had it stuck in my head since the release.
The song that follows — “You Could Start a Cult” — brings a much more folk sound to the album compared to the others. This song is soft and soothing, and it is clear a lot of warmth and love was put into it. The harmonica was so good in this song; it was a really great touch. I also love the contrast between a title that could belong to a rock band and the peaceful but passionate love song that it actually is.
“Save My Life” is so fun and is the perfect song to jump around dancing with friends to. The saxophone on this song is so good and blends well with this energetic and captivating song.
The last two songs, “On a Night Like Tonight” and “Science,” transition the album back to a much calmer and slower pace. The former has a very indie sound and a very relaxed beat, and it works really well to begin slowing things down for “Science.”
“Science” is very slow, but the way the beat rises does a great job of conveying hope. This song is all about hope even when you’re feeling depressed. Horan sings in this song, “So, when you feel there’s, nothin' left, oh, there's still a heart beatin' in your chest.” This lyric particularly stood out to me, but the song is full of little remembrances that no matter what happens, you are human and despite there being rainy days, the sun always comes back out.
“The Show” is so vastly different from “Heartbreak Weather,” but Horan remains consistent in creating showstopping albums. “The Show” has a cool blend of sounds and is definitely at the top of the list of my favorite albums at the moment!
