NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� He met her at a 鈥淒inner Party.鈥� It’s not enough to call it a concept album, but former and fourth studio album, 鈥淒inner Party,鈥� grounds itself in love songs about his longtime partner, who he met at the get-together. If the title track is the crux of the release, the message is clear: This is a breezy 12-track collection that makes settling into a long-term relationship sound effortless. It’s why the chorus repeats and repeats, and verses are cut short to get to the good stuff. 鈥淐rashing lights when you first saw me,鈥� he sings. 鈥淵eah, I met you at a dinner party.鈥� The rest is history.
And it continues throughout the album’s polish, from the dreamy guitar pop of 鈥淢onochromatic鈥� and slow-burn 鈥淪he Gets It from Her Mother鈥� to the yacht rock silliness of 鈥淏oys Are Fun” and romantic bass of 鈥淔lowers.鈥� (The story behind the later? The line 鈥淣o, you don鈥檛 know your powers / Swear your eyes could grow flowers鈥� was lifted from a fan who tweeted a similar line at Horan. Talk about fan service.) The hooks are prevalent, if not earwormy.
But only gloss would slip in and out of a listener’s memory. To counteract any weightlessness, Horan suffuses doubt. Like on 鈥淏etter Man,鈥� where stacked self-harmonies offer tense vulnerability: 鈥淚 would understand,” he sings, “If there was a better man.鈥�
Or he opts for a newfound edge 鈥� the profanity of 鈥淧retty,鈥� with its gorgeous guitar riff 鈥� or sonically, like on opener 鈥淭astes So Good,鈥� which draws subtle influence from pop-punk. There, it’s palm-muted power chords and drums loud in the mix, channeling idiosyncratic style.
Though romance seems to be his primary focus, the emotional crux of 鈥淒inner Party鈥� for Horan’s dedicated fanbase will be its closer. Co-written with longtime One Direction songwriters John Ryan and Julian Bunetta, 鈥淓nd of an Era鈥� was stopped and started many times throughout the years and serves as a thoughtful punctuation mark. It was completed following the death of Horan鈥檚 boy bandmate Liam Payne, after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. He was 31.
Sonically, the song recalls 1D鈥檚 joviality, aided by Horan’s aged wisdom. 鈥淭ime passes so fast that I couldn鈥檛 tell you goodbye,鈥� he sings. 鈥淐areless times, yeah, we sure had some / Naive eyes, yeah, we sure looked young / Tears fall down like the future comes / Slowly, and then all at once.鈥�
It is imbued with the same animating affection that carries throughout 鈥淒inner Party,鈥� but one where adoration is displayed another way: In grief, where unexpressed love continues to preserve. It shows promise that Horan’s songwriting may continue to evolve as he grows.
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鈥淒inner Party鈥� by Niall Horan
Three stars out of five.
On repeat: 鈥淧retty,鈥� 鈥淒inner Party鈥�
Skip it: 鈥淪he Gets It from Her Mother鈥�
For fans of: Effortless pop-rock, turning 30, cream in your coffee
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