Louis Tomlinson, Walls | Track Review 🎵

Louis Tomlinson drops the thoughtfully penned “Walls,” the fourth promo single and title track from his debut solo album. 

“So, this one is a thank you for what you did to me / Why is it that thank-yous are so often bittersweet? / I just hope I see you one day, and you say to me, ‘Oh, oh.’” Sigh, the One Direction solo carousel is now fully realized! Louis Tomlinson is the final member of the boy band to release his debut solo album, Walls.  Three of the four members of the band have had success as solo artists when it came to respective debut albums (ZAYN, Harry Styles, and Niall Horan).  ZAYN’s sophomore album, Icarus Falls, flopped, as did Liam Payne’s debut album, LP1.  How successful will Louis be? Only time will tell, but his fourth single from Walls, “Walls,” is worth a listen.

Breaking down “Walls,” first and foremost, vocally, Louis Tomlinson sounds beautiful.  He exhibits great control, never overreaching or underwhelming in his performance.  With arguably the lightest voice out of One Direction, on this particular pop/rock record, it translates respectably.  Don’t expect to necessarily be ‘wowed’ per se, but again, he sounds beautiful.  Lyrically, “Walls” is quite thoughtfully penned, exploring life, adversity, relationships, and ultimately growing stronger because of adversity.  The chorus, the crème de la crème of the record, sums it up fantastically:

“But these high walls, they came up short
Now I stand taller than them all
These high walls never broke my soul
And I, I watched them all come fallin’ down
I watched them all come fallin’ down for you, for you.”

Final Thoughts

All in all, as aforementioned, “Walls” is worth listening to.  Is it the most engaging or enthralling record you’ll ever here? No, but it has a thoughtful, inspirational, and uplifting message.  Louis Tomlinson sings it well but calling the song or performance memorable might be a slight stretch.

Louis Tomlinson • Walls • Sony • Release: 1.31.20

Photo Credit: Sony