Niall Horan released his sophomore album “Heartbreak Weather” on Mar.13, 2020, shining light on the different stages of a relationship through its 14 tracks.

The title track, “Heartbreak Weather,” draws the audience in with funky and upbeat music that foreshadows the music later in the album. The chorus opens with the lines, “All of my life I’ve been sleep-walk living / Running around in the same bars I’ve been in,” which a lot of listeners can relate to. Horan then expresses the elation felt when he’s with his loved one.

The second track, which is the fourth song to be released from the album, “Black and White” is a soothing song with slow music that picks up the pace. At the outro, “And there’ll never be another / I promise that I’ll love you for the rest of my life,” Horan’s voice is soft, and it sounds truthful and sincere. The song has been deemed as the perfect wedding song by fans, and many of them are comparing it to the song, “18.”  The lyrics “See you standing in your dress / Swear in front of all our friends,” has fans swooning at Horan’s innermost wishes.

The third track “Dear Patience” is relaxing and slow. The music in the chorus is a delightful blend of different sounds and instruments. Horan’s voice is captivating to the listeners, and after he’s done singing, the violin solo wraps up the song nicely. 

“Bend the Rules” sounds somewhat emotionless compared to the other songs. Horan’s voice is a little bland, but it could be because he doesn’t want to waste any more time on his former love, yet at the same time is conflicted whether or not he should forgive her. 

The sixth track, “Nice To Meet Ya,” was the first single released for Horan’s second album. Horan’s voice is raspy as he croons the lyrics, “I like the way you talk, I like the things you wear / I want your number tattooed on my arm in ink, I swear,” and immediately hooks the audience. The euphoria present in this song energizes Horan’s fans. Horan’s humming on the other hand, seems to be quite repetitive in “Heartbre?k Weather”.

“Put a Little Love On Me” was the second single released from Horan’s album. Like “Nice To Meet Ya,” the seventh track is also mainly driven by a piano, but the two songs are very different. The melody is soft as Horan expresses his love for the girl, but also his pain when she’s not with him anymore. The lyrics “I look around as my heart is collapsing / ‘Cause you’re the only one I need / To put a little love on me,” clearly captures the raw emotion that Horan is trying to showcase.

The eleventh track on the album, “New Angel,” starts off with background ‘whoops’ while the music and Horan’s voice are being introduced. The music is a little jazzy, but it’s also calming in a way. The lyrics, “I need a new angel / The touch of someone else / To save me from myself,” is showing that Horan is ready to move on from his previous heartbreak, and embrace a new relationship. It’s hopeful and soothing to the audience.

“No Judgement” is full of upbeat music while Horan’s voice is calming. “You can just be yourself,” is a powerful lyric, and even though it doesn’t seem that way, Horan’s voice makes it believable and convincing along with his humming.

“Still” is the last song in “Heartbre?k Weather.” His voice is soft in many of the previous tracks, but still proves a fitting end to the album. Horan’s voice is higher pitched in this song, which sets it off from the rest of his work. The background vocals add solemnity to the song, which is already slow and peaceful for the audience to listen to without having to concentrate much on what Horan is singing. The words, “Oh, we’ll be alright,” is easy to prove to the audience, with the emotion revealed in both voice and music. The song increases in tempo, and ultimately gains power. Even though “Still” is a sad song, it is hopeful at the same time and eases the mind from tension and stress.

Horan’s sophomore album offers different perspectives on different stages in a relationship. Songs like “Small Talk” and “New Angel” are about finding a distraction from the previous lover, while songs like ‘Everywhere” are the beginning portion of a fresh relationship. “Cross Your Mind” and “San Francisco” are reminiscing about the past. The order of the songs could be rearranged to create more uniformity, but over all the songs truly “lift[s] the clouds” for Horan’s fans and Niall Horan himself. “Heartbreak Weather” can be found for  $12.59 at Target.