Ellie Goulding released her sixth studio album, I Know Too Much, on September 4 via Polydor Records, and has expanded it twice since, leading to a 22-track album on September 11. Goulding has never had trouble writing the massive pop songs you hear in every room you walk into. I Know Too Much takes a more nuanced approach to the formula and creates something even more lasting.

The album runs on a more organic sound, with guitars and Goulding’s voice leading, bringing in larger pop production only on key songs. “4 Seasons” is one of the clearest cases: a fantastic country-pop ballad carried by acoustic guitars, violins, and a twangy bass. It’s unlike anything I’ve heard from Goulding, but I loved this song. “Nobody Dances Like You” follows with a bright 80s synth melody, and the jump between the two is a great taste of the album’s exploration.

Goulding described the record as “the stories we tell ourselves about other people, and the stranger ones we tell ourselves,” and the songs that best depict that feeling also present some of the album’s best writing (“Black Prada Dress,” “Misremember You,” “For Your Entertainment”). “Jealousy,” the album’s second track, also sticks as you listen. A pop track at its core, Goulding writes jealousy as a presence instead of a feeling, something in the room, around them, in the bed, lingering like a bad omen.

The expansions push outward from there. “Nice Things” is a fluttering alt-R&B pop track with deep, haunting synths that never settle, while “Right Hand” runs on a buzzy rock mix, wailing guitars and yells, carrying the swagger of Arctic Monkeys’ AM. “Fields of Love,” written with Feist, sets a choir and orchestra against the same folk-pop frame. And “Ways to Hurt,” written and produced with Mike Dean, is the real closer: synth-heavy, Goulding’s vocal out front, the production building into a dance track across the last ninety seconds.

Goulding has played live on guitar for years, so the acoustic versions that landed last are the least surprising thing here, and a treat: the album’s pop tracks pared back to almost nothing but the power of Ellie’s voice. Her early records ran on folk and electropop with tinges of R&B. Delirium was a full-throttle popstar moment. What she’s made since has returned to those earlier sounds while staying true to the music only Ellie Goulding could make, without feeling contrived in any way.

Almost twenty years in, none of those turns sound borrowed. Where Goulding is in her life has always been evident in her lyrics, and the production moves with it, this time toward orchestral arrangements, echoing choruses, and a twangy pop-rock to contrast the pop ballads and danceable moments sprinkled throughout.

I Know Too Much is one of her best albums in years, and not because of the direction she picked or steered away from. It’s cohesive and multi-faceted without chasing anything. I Know Too Much is out now via Polydor Records. Listen below. Purchase or stream here.