British urban-pop artist ZAYN returns with an ambitious, if overly-long sophomore album with Icarus Falls.

Following a lengthy, relatively odd promo campaign, ZAYN finally announced his sophomore album, Icarus Falls.  In advance of Icarus Falls, he released a whopping eight singles! Contextually, it makes sense, considering Icarus Falls is comprised of 27 songs, clocking in at nearly an hour and a half.  That’s a big pop album.  While ‘bigger’ can sometimes be better, that’s not necessarily the case on Icarus Falls, which has some great and respectable moments, but is excessively long and not without its flaws.

“Let Me” 

“Sweet baby, our sex has meaning.” Unsurprisingly, the urban-pop star addresses sex on brilliant opening ballad ✓ “Let Me”, which is also arguably the best single Icarus Falls. Compared to his former number one single, “Pillowtalk”, “Let Me” is less explicit and more tasteful. The backdrop is smooth, urban-pop at its best.  It’s incredibly uncluttered, with ample space for the production to ‘breathe’ you might say.  ZAYN delivers some superb vocals, particularly when he sings in falsetto. Further amplifying the excellence of “Let Me” are the lovely vocal harmonies on the chorus.

✓ “Natural” continues a strong start for Icarus Falls, continuing to find the pop star embracing his role as a balladeer.  Vocally, he’s on-point, whether it’s chest or that sick ‘head’ voice (falsetto). There’s no shame in the game of “Back to Life” which tackles familiar subject matter – love, relationships, and such.  The tempo picks up slightly, with the groove providing some punch. As far as the songwriting, the pre-chorus and chorus are quite memorable as well as being well-performed.  Second only to “Let Me,” ✓ “Common” is the best of the opening quartet.  Once more, ZAYN has an awesome pre-chorus and chorus that instantly resonate. Furthermore, he excels in the urban contemporary realm, something that shines through on this particular record.

“Imprint”

“Imprint” is another intriguing record from Icarus Falls.  ZAYN embraces sex (shocker) but does so tastefully without being explicit.  In other words, like “Let Me,” he eschews the f-bomb when referencing what’s going down. “Stand Still” is the first of more ‘experimental’ records that appear on the album.  The melody is unique with its beautiful, colorful quirks, rather, the chromatic notes. The same could be said about the harmonic progression, which goes beyond the traditional. Perhaps “Stand Still” isn’t necessarily a ‘gem,’ but it stays with you because of the innovative spirit in play.

“Tonight,” like many songs from Icarus Falls, benefits from the pre-chorus and chorus sections, as well as the sleek, urban contemporary backdrop.  ZAYN sings well, once more, even if “Tonight” isn’t necessarily the ‘first round pick’ from the LP.  “Flight of the Stars” has its fair share of attributes, beginning with the melody that occurs during the chorus.  The verses are performed more in an undertone, with the melody being secondary to the overall vibe.  The bright “If I Got You” includes some studio trickery, namely pitch-shifted, effects-heavy vocals.  Again, if vibe was the intent of ZAYN, he nails it on this gimmicky number, particularly the chorus.  Thankfully, he keeps things relatively straight on the verses, and soars on the ad-libs.

“Talk to Me” 

“Talk to Me” gives Icarus Falls some tempo, as well as guitar, but don’t call it the crème de la crème. Good, but not as memorable as the best. ✓ “There You Are” is certainly a step up, as ZAYN soars vocally on the simple, but highly effective chorus: “There you are / There you are / You’re there with open arms.” The writing isn’t complex or game changing, but he sells it well on this slick crossover of pop, soft-rock (guitar!), and R&B.  On follow-up “I Don’t Mind,” he embraces his love and skill as an R&B artist.  Lyrically, he’s focused only on his baby as he asserts, “Girl, you’ll never see me running out / Fuck anybody else, there’s only you.”

“Icarus Interlude” marks one of the more non-traditional moments from the album, fitting as it serves as the ‘title track’ of sorts.  What’s odd is that the interlude is the same length as a full-length record… Once more, the singing is beautiful, while the vibe is popping.  ✓ “Good Guy” follows in a more compact package, just crossing the two-and-a-half-minute mark.  Despite its brevity, this enigmatic, moody, minor-key record stands out.  Maybe it’s the vocals, definitely the production, and again, that ‘v-word.’  “You Wish You Knew” has a tough act to follow, but a sick groove and a colorful synth that appears on the chorus goes a long way.

“Sour Diesel”  

“Like sour diesel (she burn, she burn she burn) / I can’t stop the feelin’ (she burn, she burn, she burn).” On ✓ “Sour Diesel”, ZAYN compares a woman to Sour Diesel, a strain of marijuana. Among the advance singles from Icarus Falls, “Sour Diesel” marked something completely different from anything he’d released prior. The record sounds like a mix of 80s R&B, pop, and rock – maybe even a bit of New Jack Swing thrown in as well.  Michael Jackson and Prince come to mind as influences, even if he doesn’t approach the same level of musicianship as those two icons. The lyrics are sexually-charged but once more, ZAYN reins himself in. There’s also overlap with his smoking habits as well: “Smokin’ some more, I’m in her space / She touches me there, then I do it again.”

“Satisfaction” is another respectable ballad, that is tastefully produced and avoids the ‘over-singing bug.’ In other words, it’s ‘satisfying’ enough. ✓ “Scripted” is another example of a strong melody, not to mention a superb harmonic progression and production.  ZAYN’s falsetto sounds chilling on the chorus, though the entirety of his vocal performance is among the crème de la crème of Icarus Falls.

“Entertainer”

“You thought you had me, didn’t you?” On “Entertainer”, “meaningful sex” seems to be a distant memory, particularly given the fact that “Entertainer” followed “Let Me” sequentially.  Clearly, he’s heartbroken and pissed off.  The music video adds an extra wrinkle, given that apparently, narratively, ZAYN meets his girl at a ‘gentleman’s club.’  The pre-chorus is wordy, sung rhythmically in an undertone. On the chorus, he asserts he won’t be available when she needs him the most.  On the second verse, he’s frustrated and upset by how things went down.  On the bridge, he’s anti “playing your games,” has keen perception regarding “fake love,” and once again asserts, “I’m a turn you down when you need me anyway.” It’s enjoyable enough but doesn’t trump some of the rest of the album.

“All That” works out alright, but doesn’t ‘wow,’ particularly with better cuts ahead of it and following it.  One of those better cuts that follows is ✓ “Good Years”, which was the thrilling ballad that ZAYN needed during a suspect promo campaign for Icarus Falls.

“I’d rather be anywhere
Anywhere but here…
I close my eyes and see a crowd of a thousand tears
I pray to god I didn’t waste all my good years.”

“Good Years” commences with ZAYN singing the aforementioned, excerpted chorus with powerful, passionate vocals, accompanied merely by piano. He goes on to deliver strong vocals on both verses, discussing the effects and downside of fame. He really shines on the second and successive iterations of the chorus, when vocal harmonies come into the picture, intensifying and propelling the emotion and the passion even further. His anti-fame, ‘keep me out of the spotlight’ message resounds, restated once more on the bridge.

“Fresh Air”

“You and me got differences / Why you on some different shit?” “Fresh Air” finds ZAYN being more forward-thinking, embracing alternative R&B.  It doesn’t quite latch as much as “Good Years,” but give him credit for going against the grain. Seventh single “Rainberry” finds ZAYN flaunting his masterful falsetto. Also boding in the favor of “Rainberry” is the vibe, some production cues, the groove, and select, lyrical moments (“Rainberry / Falling down your blood-red lips / Why are your eyes heavy?”).  Still, for all of its pros, the record doesn’t quite feel like a surefire hit.  In my opinion, highlight ✓ “Insomnia” might’ve made a stronger advance single, with its moody sentiment and a brilliant blend of pop and alternative/contemporary R&B.

Icarus Falls concludes with three advance singles, bring some familiarity to those who followed the evolution of the project. “No Candle No Light” is an urban-/electro-pop flavored record, featuring a slick beat and synths, giving the record moody vibes. Regarding vocals, Nicki Minaj sings the first verse respectably, but don’t call it the performance of the year. ZAYN joins on the pre-chorus, with the two superstars remaining a duo on the chorus. ZAYN takes the reins on the second verse of the song, continuing to showcase an excellent vocal tone. It’s an okay record, but not particularly memorable or transcendent.

What’s the premise of penultimate number “Fingers”? ZAYN is likely drunk, but he’s so to’ up he can’t properly text or convey his feelings for her.  It’s not ‘brand-new’, but definitely interesting.  There’s not much here, but “Fingers” is an interesting, relatively brief, somewhat unorthodox listen.

On “Too Much” (featuring Timbaland), he’s swearing once again, dropping the f-bomb early on – I think we met and the time flies / I took your digits a while back / I think we fucked in the flashback / Won’t leave my mind, kinda sidetracked.” Beyond his potty mouth, his vocals are a bit more nonchalant on the verses, while he ‘brings the heat’ with his falsetto on the chorus.  Among the best moments occurs during the bridge, which references cocaine.  Yes, drugs are bad, but the wordplay is pretty damn clever.

Final Thoughts 

So, what was I thinking with a track-by-track review of Icarus Falls? I’m still not sure, but, after listening and analyzing each track, I found I had more of an appreciation for the album and what ZAYN wanted to accomplish.  There are plenty of solid, standout moments, but there’s no denying that it’s tough to make an hour-and-a-half-long pop album consistently engaging and exciting.  Had Icarus Falls been trimmed down, and perhaps some of the singles swapped for some of the album tracks, the project might’ve been even stronger. Even as it stands, there’s enough here to pick and choose from.  Better than expected.

✓ Gems: “Let Me,” “Common,” “Imprint,” “There You Are,” “Good Guy,” “Sour Diesel,” “Scripted,” “Good Years” & “Insomnia”

ZAYN • Icarus Falls • RCA • Release: 12.14.18

Photo Credit: RCA