Who is Ellie Goulding? After "Burn" we're not really sure. The newest song from the indie UK singer is poppier than her previous ones on Lights and Halcyon, but "poppier" doesn't necessarily signal a musical shift for the singer, does it?
All lights point to very possible. The music video for "Burn" follows the Top 40 pop formula to a T. In it Goulding dances in a field (and maybe also on an airport runway), hundreds of young starry-eyed dancers join her to look up at the sky and there are lots, and lots, of lights, which are kind-of her thing. The video almost looks like a Levi's commercial, but there is no denying that the visuals are beautiful.
Goulding's music has always fallen somewhere underneath genres like "synthpop," "dreampop," "indiepop," etc., but her music always felt raw and honest, like a combination of pop and soul. It never felt like her songs were made with a ranking on Top 40 radio in mind. With "Burn" it's harder to tell.
We liked moody Ellie Goulding from Halcyon, but whether Goulding decides to stay indie, tweak her aesthetic or do, well, whatever she wants in the future, we support her. Because no matter what this girl is singing, she always sounds good.
