With ‘Highway To Heavenly,’ Heavenly do something quietly radical: they return not as a legacy act smoothing out its edges, but as a band whose politics, emotions, and melodies feel as urgent as they did in the 1990s; if not more so. Nearly three decades after ‘Operation Heavenly,’ (Wiiija / K Records, 1996), the group reaffirm their role as architects of indiepop while proving that sweetness, when sharpened by conviction, can still cut deeply.
From the opening moments of “Scene Stealing,” it’s clear this is not an exercise in nostalgia. The track glides in on a sleek, disco-tinged pulse, its shimmer recalling late ’70s pop without ever lapsing into pastiche. Beneath the gloss, though, the song delivers a coolly furious critique of attention-hungry influencer culture, skewering entitlement and misogyny with a smile that barely conceals its teeth. It’s a perfect entry point for the album: danceable, witty, and politically alert.
That balance, between joy and resistance, has always been Heavenly’s signature. On ‘Highway To Heavenly,’ it’s sharpened by time and experience. “Portland Town,” the album’s lead single, radiates warmth and openness, celebrating a place that stands for welcome and difference. Peter Momtchiloff and Amelia Fletcher’s jangling guitars and the shared vocals of Fletcher and Cathy Rogers feel almost communal, as if inviting listeners into a version of the world where kindness and diversity aren’t slogans but everyday facts. In contrast, “Press Return” turns its focus on a familiar modern villain: the tech-bro fantasist who mistakes money and machinery for moral worth. Musically bright and lyrically merciless, the song lands its blows through melody rather than volume.
Heavenly’s feminist perspective has always been inclusive rather than didactic, and nowhere is that clearer than on “Excuse Me.” Bursting with punk-pop energy, the song channels the giddy rush of teenage romance, celebrating awkwardness and intelligence over swagger. It’s effervescent, fast, and utterly unpretentious, echoing the band’s early work while sounding completely at ease in the present. If some bands mellow with age, Heavenly simply refine their sense of fun.
The album’s emotional center arrives with “A Different Beat,” a template for narrative songwriting. Over a rhythm that subtly shifts from constraint to release, the song traces the arc of a relationship built on control and disillusionment. What makes it powerful isn’t just the escape it depicts, but the sense of motion toward something brighter, a metaphorical dancefloor where autonomy and pleasure finally align. Heavenly have always understood that pop music can be a vehicle for liberation, and here that idea feels fully realized.
Yet ‘Highway To Heavenly’ isn’t all sparkle and momentum. Its closing track, “That Last Day,” confronts grief with devastating clarity. Dealing with bereavement, an inescapable part of Heavenly’s own history, the song transforms loss into something shared and almost singable, without ever trivializing it. Its melody is gentle, its chorus devastating in its simplicity, and its placement at the album’s end feels both inevitable and cathartic. It’s a reminder that pop music, at its best, can hold sorrow without collapsing under it.
Sonically, the album feels cohesive yet varied. Recorded in Deptford and Kent with producer Toby Burroughs, it carries a warmth that suits its human focus. Sparkling guitar lines and crisp keyboards anchor the sound, while Ian Button’s drumming and Rob Pursey’s melodic basslines bring both drive and restraint. Fletcher and Rogers’ vocals, alternately tender and defiant, remain the band’s emotional compass. Perhaps the most striking thing about ‘Highway To Heavenly’ is how naturally it speaks to a new generation of listeners without diluting its principles. Heavenly never chased trends, and that independence now feels like foresight. In an era marked by aggressive posturing and hollow bravado, their insistence on empathy, joy, and resistance through pop feels quietly revolutionary.
This isn’t just a comeback album; it’s a continuation. ‘Highway To Heavenly’ stands comfortably alongside Heavenly’s earlier work while addressing the world as it is now; messy, unequal, but still full of possibility. Few bands manage to grow older without growing smaller. Heavenly, against the odds, sound larger than ever.
Releases February 27, 2026
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