As I mentioned in my Fan Art Friday post from yesterday, I was getting ready to draw and with that I was going to listen to Louis Tomlinson’s debut album, Walls. As a die-hard Directioner, I was excited, but also nervous to listen to this, because I truthfully haven’t given their solo efforts much attention. I love the One Direction sound so much, that I just sort of live in that musical bubble.
I will say, Louis’ debut wasn’t a total departure to what I’d come to expect from a One Direction album, so it was a nice introduction to everyone’s solo music. With that being said, I didn’t really care for it that much. Sure, it was pop music, and I’m not a psycho, so I enjoy it to an extent, but there was absolutely no song that stood out for me. By the time I was done listening to it, I shrugged to myself and thought, “hm, over already?” Not in that I was disappointed, but that it all just sort of sounded like one long song.
There just wasn’t enough variety. And not just instrumentally. A lot of the lyrics were all so similar. Yes, I understand he lost his mother and sister, and I would say those songs maybe stood out a touch more, but all the songs about his relationship were just so lame. Twelve songs about virtually the same thing and that almost musically sound identical is really not that fun to listen to.
I suppose if I had to pick a song that I enjoyed it would be the lead track “Kill My Mind” because it was the most different of them all, but I would say the rest of them tied for my least favorite. “Too Young” might have been the most annoying. And do I say that because it’s about his longtime girlfriend and I have a one-sided crush on Louis? Maybe. But I’m just a petty girl sometimes. Just kidding. I disliked it because it was unbearably slow. I would also say that these tracks also weren’t good because of his vocal range. I knew it was limited from his time in One Direction, but just hearing it non-stop throughout twelve tracks is A LOT.
Regardless of my thoughts on this record, my friend and I are still going to see Louis live this summer (for now), and I’m still pretty darn excited about it. Probably because I keep putting it in a One Direction context, but that’s fine. After listening to the record I am also intensely interested in seeing how he does in a live setting by himself. How charismatic will he be? How will his vocals hold up? I’ll report back if the show ever happens, so keep your eyes peeled.