See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy ADRIAN THRILLS Published: 00:00 BST, 4 September 2026 | Updated: 00:04 BST, 4 September 2026
ELLIE GOULDING: I Know Too Much (Polydor)Verdict: Tuneful return to formRating: Four starsReleasing her fifth album, Higher Than Heaven, in 2023, Ellie Goulding declared it her 'least personal' yet.At a time when many of her peers were analysing their deepest emotions after lockdown, she went instead for a set of dance-pop bangers.Three years on, things are different. Having announced the end of her marriage to art dealer Caspar Jopling in 2024, she and her new partner, actor Beau Minniear, welcomed a baby daughter, her second child, earlier this year.The fickle nature of pop fame, where it's easy to slip from hero to zero, is also on her mind.The upshot is a new album of a more intimate hue. Written as Goulding, 39, found herself at 'a crossroads', I Know Too Much isn't a traditional breakup record. Elle's new album of a more intimate hue. Written as she found herself at 'a crossroads', I Know Too Much isn't a traditional breakup record On I Know Too Much, she's gone back to dreamy pop melodies and revealing, self-aware lyrics – and come up with her best album in yearsIt looks witheringly at former flames and romantic delusions, but it also celebrates the giddiness of new love.Made with Toronto producer Jack Rochon, who worked on Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter, it's a reminder of Ellie's strengths. When she broke through in 2010, mixing electronic beats and folky vocals, she was pop's girl next door. She's older now, and wiser; but I Know Too Much puts the onus back on her fluttery, high-pitched voice.The record opens with Black Prada Dress, a study of a toxic love affair and a reflection on the social media barbs faced by today's stars. 'I'm trying to be a Hollywood baby, 'cause you make me think that London hates me,' she sings.The Hereford-born singer dishes out a few barbs of her own. On acoustic ballad Always Think Of You, she pines for an old lover before conceding the relationship was 'one big mess of a stupid mistake'. On Misremember You, she admits to a hopeless ex: 'I still see you in a good light from time to time.'The best moments hark back to the pop hooks and folky flourishes of old. Nobody Dances is a generic synth-pop number, but the title track is driven by finger-picked acoustic guitar, and the romantic 4 Seasons moves from an acoustic introduction to a chiming finale. 'I don't usually trust guys like you, but right now, I don't care,' sings Ellie.As a guest vocalist on Muse's The Wow! Signal album, released in June, Goulding sang in a swaggering, rocky style. Before that, she dabbled in dance music and R&B.On I Know Too Much, she's gone back to dreamy pop melodies and revealing, self-aware lyrics – and come up with her best album in years.
