EP: Pillowtalk
Artist: Zayn Malik
Label: RCA Records
Release Date: Jan. 29 2016
Rating: 4/5
Zayn is back, but now he’s in all-caps.
The former One Direction member’s new single “Pillowtalk” marks newly-dubbed ZAYN’s final departure from bubblegum pop and synchronized white boys.
“Pillowtalk” was everything I did and didn’t expect. After leaving One Direction, half of me was waiting for Zayn to finish a pre-mid-life crisis in a pile of cocaine and a declaration of bankruptcy. The other half of me was more optimistic, putting a questionable faith in the idea that a man who ditched One Direction couldn’t possibly want to make terrible music.
Malik’s voice (now unencumbered by four bandmates) is distinct, with a smoky texture that is only slightly distorted by autotune. It’s not just a pleasant tune, it’s a passionate song that just may land Zayn in the land of enigmatic crooners such as Frank Ocean or The Weeknd.
Does Malik have what it takes to join them? After all, he did exit the scene for nearly 10 months (immediately after skipping out on his bandmates mid-tour) and has been oddly under the radar ever since.
The lyrics are simple and just as affectionate as you’d expect a song titled “Pillowtalk” to be. Malik belts out his fervent need to exist with his significant other in the walls of their bedroom — but as innocent as pillow-talking sounds, the song retains a rawness that sets Malik apart from the rest of his former bandmates.
And no, it’s not just because it’s the first time Malik has been able to croon out the f-word.
The beats are sexy, and the themes are pretty raunchy. “Pillowtalk” is Malik’s traditional comeback — we saw it when Justin Timberlake broke from N*SYNC, with George Michael and Wham! — it was only a matter of time before Malik asserted either his sexuality or artistic direction. “Pillowtalk” did both.
The R&B infused song is accompanied by a three and a half minute-long music video. With an artistic montage including bleeding flowers and bleeding eyes, Malik’s direction in the music video isn’t totally clear. Sure, it’s nice seeing two hot people (Malik and his rumored girlfriend Gigi Hadid) locked in a desperate embrace while distorted images of women’s bodies break up the scene every two seconds. But blurry green-screen backgrounds and erratic images of near-naked women were a bit too standard for a song already so sexually charged.
Not to say I don’t think Malik is onto something. He could be. Crying tears made up of anything but water is an intense statement, so one can hope that he’ll get weirder.
Personally, I don’t know if I’m on the Zayn train yet. But “Pillowtalk” is a strong debut track, and I’m confident that Malik hasn’t shown the world his best.