Heaven or Las Vegas

Heaven or Las Vegas is the sixth studio album by the Scottish band Cocteau Twins, released on 17 September 1990 by 4AD. Recorded at September Sound in Twickenham, it followed the band's 1988 album Blue Bell Knoll and was their second release to be issued in the United States through a distribution deal with Capitol Records.

The album blends dream pop and ambient pop with elements of psychedelia, experimental, and electronic textures. The composition of Heaven or Las Vegas reflects a shift toward more accessible and structured songwriting, balancing the band's established ethereal textures with clearer melodies and rhythms. Built around Robin Guthrie's guitar work, Simon Raymonde's bass lines, and programmed percussion, the songs incorporated brighter harmonies and major–minor chord progressions that conveyed both intimacy and emotional depth. Elizabeth Fraser's vocals, while still marked by glossolalia and unconventional phrasing, were delivered with greater clarity than on previous albums, a change often linked to her personal circumstances at the time.

Heaven or Las Vegas has since been recognised as one of Cocteau Twins' most influential works and as a landmark in dream pop. It peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart and number 99 on the US Billboard 200, becoming the band's most commercially successful release. It eventually sold 235,000 copies by 1996. The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and was voted number 218 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums. In 2020, Rolling Stone listed it at No. 245 in its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.