When Zayn Malik left One Direction, nobody was entirely sure what he was planning to do next. Exactly a year later—now going by just Zayn—he’s released his debut album, and Mind of Mine really proves leaving the boy band did him a lot of good.
In a lot of ways, it seems like Mind of Mine is just Zayn exploring the newfound freedom he’s faced with and shedding the squeaky-clean boy band image he’s always seemed to struggle with. He’s doing whatever he wants, whenever he wants. In most cases, this is a good thing—in other cases (such as his inexplicable decision to type his song titles LiKe ThIS), this newfound freedom can be a bit much.
Overall, Mind of Mine fits right in with the current mainstream music scene’s love of mellow R&B. The vast majority of its 14 songs (18 on the deluxe version) are about sex, as well as falling in and out of love. You could slide this record in after Miguel or The Weeknd and just keep on chilling.
The downside to this is at times the songs are too similar and mellow: When one song ends, it is easy to roll through another couple without noticing. At times—most notably during “sHe,” “dRuNk,” “BoRdErSz,” and “tRuTh”—they sound almost generic, like the composers were merely checking off boxes on the standard R&B song element checklist.
Most of the songs on the album, however, steer clear of this pitfall. “TiO” and “rEaR vIeW” are also very traditionally R&B, but unlike the aforementioned songs, they wear it well and don’t feel recycled.
Lead single “PILLOWTALK” is one of the album’s more upbeat songs, and it’s understandably been a solid hit on the charts because it easily gets stuck in your head. “BeFoUr” is arguably the best song on the album, due in part to its unique beat and Zayn’s sultry delivery of the lyrics, but also because it’s a subtle homage to Zayn’s life—both pre- and post-1D.
“wRoNg,” featuring Kehlani, is another stand-out. I don’t know if it’s the whole boy band thing, but Zayn’s voice is made for collaborations, and his voice compliments others really well. Her voice is a powerful presence on the song, which really kicks it up a notch.
Other songs stray further out of R&B into straight-up pop territory, such as the almost Beatles-esque ballad “fOoL fOr YoU.” “BLUE,” another ballad, also tries to circumvent this, but is less successful.
The album’s simple intermission, “fLoWer,” is sung in Zayn’s father’s native language of Urdu with an accompanying acoustic guitar, and it’s a refreshingly distinct yet soothing and poignant song on the album. It’s an homage to his heritage, and perhaps even a casual “fuck you” to the racists he’s encountered throughout his career.
The majority of the songs aren’t the most lyrically complex, but it’s easy to forgo that because of how extraordinary Zayn’s voice is. He delivers clear high notes with effortless ease, and truly shines vocally on both the slower ballads and the more upbeat club tracks, and it’s easy to tell he’d been holding back before this.
Ultimately, while Mind of Mine isn’t the perfect album, it’s an impressive starting point for an artist who’d been tied down to an entirely different sound until just over a year ago. It’s going to be interesting to see how Zayn develops and evolves as time goes on and he grows into his own unique sound.
