In case you hadn’t heard, Zayn pulled a Beyoncé, or a Justin, or a Fergie. His first solo album since leaving One Direction dropped this weekend.
On Friday, Zain Malik — or ZAYN, as he now stylizes it — released Mind of Mine, an 14-tracker that shows minimal growth from his time with 1D and a possible penchant for late-aughts rap records. (The album cover is suspiciously similar to Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III.)
Full disclosure: This reviewer has been listening to little else than the lead single, “PILLOWTALK,” for the better part of a month. With that being said, it’s a good thing Malik let that one go first. It might be the only song that will be remembered.
While “PILLOWTALK” showcases the artist’s vocal range and lends itself well to impassioned car sing-alongs, that energy is absent on most other tracks, with a few exceptions.
“TiO,” short for “Take it Off,” is another bedroom banger, marred only by the fact that its title reads as though Malik were about to launch into a ballad to his dear Spanish uncle.
Malik doesn’t seem to have matured much past his former bandmates. If One Direction songs are directed at high schoolers trying to sext from under the covers, ZAYN songs are directed at those same kids a few years down the line, in dorm rooms trying to drown out the sounds of awkward sexual encounters under their Target bedspreads.
For the most part, the artist sounds as though he’s trying to mimic John Legend or Sam Smith with tender slow jams. Maybe Gigi Hadid just isn’t a great muse, because it sounds as though Malik could just as easily be crooning to his mom’s really great chicken pot pie.
In fact, the songs that appear to be more about illicit hookups or that flirt with raunchiness (or cross into it entirely) are the ones where Malik sounds best. “BoRdErSz,” for example, has a nice a cappella bridge during which Malik flexes his vocals a bit.
On the other hand, the love song “fOoL fOr YoU” is reminiscent of an early Jonas Brothers puppy-love snoozer, complete with a piano backdrop. Sorry, Gigi.
“IT’s YoU” sounds exactly the same — only instead of a piano, it’s a pipe organ.
Somewhere in the 59 minutes of manufactured beats and more than a little vocal smoothing, Malik manages to squeeze in the obligatory drug-fueled anthem and post-breakup shoot-your-shot, both so essential to 2016.
Titled “lUcOzAde” and “LIKE I WOULD,” respectively, the two seem most relatable to the 17- to 23-year-old demographic we can only assume Malik is hoping to target.
Lucozade is apparently the name of a line of sports and energy drinks popular in the United Kingdom. Sounds about right.
“LIKE I WOULD” will speak most to those of you who, about three hours and several more drinks after your ex posted a selfie at 11:49 p.m. on a Thursday, have hit them up to tear down their new love interest and remind them of all the great times you shared over the course of your seven-month relationship. He or she will inevitably decline your advances, because you are not ZAYN.
Yes, ZAYN has changed. Gone are the poppy guitars and backup choir of enthusiastic boy bandmates. Here to stay are electronic beats, cascading drums and singing backup for himself.
The subject matter, though? Not far off.