![]() “Rainberry” keeps Malik solidly within his range, as opposed to such strained moments as “Common,” and the ‘70s beat adds a nice groove. To get the most out of Icarus Falls, the closing sequence provides your best options. “Natural” comes close to a decent JT vocal impression, though it’s bogged down by the predictability of the lyrics. The guitar riffs on opener “Let Me” add a bit of sentimental flourish that makes Malik’s request resonate in a genuine manner, while the lilt of his voice on the chorus of “You Wish You Knew” offers one of the most intriguing moments. Malik’s voice remains pleasing on the ears and coupled with the right production, it makes for a few pleasant effects. That’s not to say Icarus Falls is entirely bad, more just aggressively okay. But Malik clearly wants to convey heartbreak, romance, and existentialism, and that’s harder to do when you sound better suited for whisper singing. The similarity to one of pop’s emerging talents isn’t all a bad thing, at least if you’re not trying to make something as emotional as rhythm and blues. Despite entering the genre of Usher, Justin Timberlake and Mariah Carey, Malik sounds most similar, at least vocally, to the poppier Troye Sivan. Sonically, Malik goes the R&B route and rides it for all it’s worth. A track like “There You Are” resembles every song used in a five-second YouTube ad: sweeping, harmless and nowhere near as entertaining as the video you’ve actually queued up. Malik exists as a disconnected and mysterious in the music scene, and these songs feel just as detached from everything as he does. Excessive to a fault, the album suffers not necessarily because it’s too long, but because too much of it lacks any sort of innovation or charisma that could set it apart. It features over 20 different songwriting credits and boasts a few impressive guests. Its first single arrived back in April, approximately a decade ago in 2018-time, and began a months-long rollout towards the album’s release. At a time of the year when many people try to catch up on the material they overlooked in the past 12 months, Zayn Malik has release 27 songs for a total of 127 minutes worth of music on Icarus Falls.Ĭloser to its own name than it realizes, Icarus goes for grandiose in more than length alone. Relying on a compact and cohesive project proved successful for each of these acts, who all ended up on multiple year-end lists. Robyn returned with a nine-song comeback, Tierra Whack gave a 15-minute masterclass in minimalism and Vince Staples took 20 minutes to state his peace. “I took your digits a while back/I think we fucked in a flashback,” he sings, coming off more like a Miguel impersonator than the lothario he wants to be.Plenty of musicians kept things short and sweet in 2018. On “Too Much,” Timbaland’s atmospheric production-a heady mix of boom-bap drums and swirling tide-pool synths-can’t save Zayn from his own sloppy lyricism. “No Candle No Light,” featuring Nicki Minaj, aspires for EDM bombast but exists primarily for the sake of its wordless, warped-vocal centerpiece, which leaves both Zayn and Minaj as afterthoughts in their own song. The collaborative efforts here likewise swing and miss. Unfortunately, nothing on Icarus Falls nears the masterful extravagance of “Pillowtalk.” The closest the album comes to a standout is “Let Me,” a synth-pop slow jam seemingly tailor-made for late-night make-out sessions. #Zayn malik icarus falls full#It’s a sublime pop moment in a song full of them. “Yeah, reckless behavior/A place that is so pure/So dirty and raw,” he sings on that song’s chorus, and when he lands on the word “behavior,” it’s easy to forget about his boy-band past. Zayn’s first single, 2016’s steamy “Pillowtalk,” was surprising in its intensity. Across 27 tracks, he tries on so many guises-melancholic balladeer, unabashed chart-chaser, avant-pop visionary-that he fails to ever separate himself from his peers, rendering Icarus Falls a forgettable, albeit expertly produced, travelogue of R&B trends. On Icarus Falls, Zayn Malik’s second solo album, the former One Direction member strives to attain the status of Justin Timberlake, Drake, or even Justin Bieber. ![]()
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