Five years since One Direction called their hiatus, each member of the very popular British boyband have gone on to release their own albums, some even going on to release their second solo albums. While some members have been climbing to fame and discovering their own niche apart from their pop-rock branded sound, they claimed from their “X Factor” days, Louis Tomlinson is the last of the bunch to finally have his solo album debut. With many trials that set him back, like the death of his mom and younger sister, Tomlinson has also had triumphs like the birth of his first son. With so many milestones occurring within his days since One Direction, Tomlinson has a lot of raw emotion and life to display within his album “Walls.”
“Kill My Mind,” the first song of the 12-track album, doesn’t give the album a strong start. With an almost hollow sound and vacant tones, it’s sad to hear what could be such a big song be carved out with synthetic Britpop beats and left to somewhat rot. It’s almost catchy, and how awful is that. “You kill my mind / Raise my body back to life / And I don’t know what I’d do without you now,” Tomlinson has never had any of the powerhouse vocals within One Direction but this song just does not put his voice in the best light, much less display any talent with lyric writing.
On the other hand, Tomlinson’s “Don’t Let It Break Your Heart” leans toward his strengths that always tug at the heart. Being that Tomlinson has gone through quite a lot within the past three years, his hopeful words and lyrics within this tune reach out to anyone who has struggled or endured heartache in whichever form. “Don’t you let it kill you / Even when it hurts like hell / Oh, whatever tears you apart / Don’t let it break your heart,” I believe the best part of the song, and the most important thing that he preaches is for people to remember that regardless of all the bad things that can happen, don’t let it eclipse progress and the little victories you’ve made despite your trials. It’s quite honestly a throwback to how One Direction sounded from their last album, “Made in the AM.”
One of the first songs Tomlinson released, apart from featuring with artists like Steve Aoki, Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals, “Two of Us,” is a hopeful melancholy ballad surrounding the grief and passing of his mother in December 2016. “Even when I’m on my own, I know I won’t be alone / Tattooed on my heart are the words of your favourite song / I know you’ll be looking down, swear I’m gonna make you proud / I’ll be living one life for the two of us,” One of the most impactful songs of the album simply due to the context surrounding it.
“Always You,” is one of the feel-good breaks within the emotional album. It’s peppy and bouncing plucking of chords only lasts briefly before the chorus gives way toward drawn out and wistful heavy drums. Reminiscing on old times, the lyrics talk of wasting time with other people when he should have always known she was the one. “I’m wastin’ my time when it was always you, always you / Chasin’ a high, but it was always you, always you / Should’ve never let you go / Should’ve never let you go, my baby.” This song in particular was the one I found myself playing again once it ended. Definitely a catchy tune, “Always You” is probably one of the grooviest songs and most reminiscent of his old sound from his boyband days.
Tomlinson’s attempt at his debut hits, didn’t necessarily miss the mark, but they aren’t a bullseye either. Stuck in the sound of 90s Britpop, he displays an emotional journey all while concealing himself. With songs like “Defenceless” and “Walls,” the singer’s voice is finely tuned to tug at the heartstrings with some of these ballads but overall, I feel the singer did some of his better work on featured tracks.
Image from Louis Tomlinson via YouTube
