On January 31st, ex-One Direction member Louis Tomlinson released his first solo album titled Walls. It has been almost five years since the band has broken up, and though Tomlinson had singles come out before, this is his first LP since his One Direction days.
The album had five singles and a total of 12 tracks. It has a pop-rock feel to it. It is good music, in my opinion. I will be the first to say that five singles might be a little bit excessive, but I’ll give Tomlinson a pass. The very first single from the album came out almost a year ago, at the beginning of March 2019. The song is titled “Two of Us,” and it is about his mother, who died in 2016.
The album is good. I’ll admit, I’m very biased since I was a major One Direction fan. However, this new music feels more stripped back and raw when comparing it to a boy band’s music from over five years ago. You can hear the real emotion in all of these songs, and hearing solo music is just such a different experience because you know that the person singing was the one who felt all of the love, sadness, fear, etc.
My favorite song is one of the singles, “Kill My Mind.” It has a very 80s movie rock vibe to it, and it is one of those songs that you can listen to over and over and not get bored quickly. The title track “Walls” is also an easy listen with a fantastic bridge.
“Defenceless” is one of those songs that stimulate some serious emotions. A lot of the songs sound like they could be played at a pivotal movie moment, and this one is one of those songs that you could either cry to or drive fast down the highway on a summer night to.
The rest of the album is pretty good. There might be one or two skips, but I’d love to listen to it again from start to finish. I also think that this is music for many people, not just old One Direction fans. It’s genuinely good music, and I sincerely recommend it.