As the last member of the world-class British boyband One Direction to release a solo album, Louis Tomlinson knew he had to create something extraordinary. His efforts — though it’s not evident he even tried at all — fell extremely short, as his debut, Walls, is utterly forgettable and does nothing but put listeners to sleep, excluding a few sufficient moments.
When One Direction began conquering the world after placing third on The X Factor in 2010 and getting signed to Simon Cowell’s Syco Records, every fan soon picked a favorite. Tomlinson seemed to sit in the back of most people’s minds.
He has the softest voice of the five members, and it was easy to forget he was in the tracks at times since he had a low number of solos. He wasn’t able to assert himself then, and he still isn’t now.
Despite having 37 songwriting credits on some of One Direction’s best work, Tomlinson couldn’t translate that lyrical flair over to Walls. The 12-track album is Tomlinson’s poor attempt to be something he’s not: a soft pop star and a ballad virtuoso.
He doesn’t even sound like he can sing on the opener, “Kill My Mind.” “Perfect Now” is anything but what the track suggests, as Tomlinson’s vocals sound flat alongside the lackluster instrumentation. “Habit” sounds like it would better suit Kacey Musgraves’ tender vocals, but Tomlinson takes it and makes it repetitive to the point that Rebecca Black’s “Friday” would be a better listen.
Nine of the tracks are lifeless, and Walls as a whole proves Tomlinson is not much without his former bandmates besides a decent harmonizer. Here are the only three bearable tracks from Walls:
3. “Too Young”
What works on “Too Young” is its simplicity and the fact that it’s not intolerably repetitive.
Tomlinson’s delicate vocals pair well with the soothing acoustic guitar as he reveals how he’s just now realizing his young love was everything he’s ever wanted. That unquestionably alludes to Eleanor Calder, who Tomlinson started dating in 2011 amid his rise to fame. The pair parted ways in 2015 but reunited in 2017, and despite false rumors they’re engaged, they seem to be as happy as ever with each other.
He’s talking directly to the love of his life as he reminisces on how he had it all and let it go: “I’ve been looking back a lot lately / Me and you is all I’ve ever known / It’s hard to think you could ever hate me / But everything’s feeling different now.”
2. “Always You”
Containing the most enthralling instrumentation on the album is “Always You,” a track with the same overall theme as “Too Young”: Tomlinson shouldn’t have split from the best thing that’s ever happened to him.
Alongside a gentle electric guitar from producer John Foyle, Tomlinson uses his small vocal range to his advantage as he realizes nothing feels right without Calder by his side. “I went from LAX to Heathrow / Walked through my door, but it felt nothing like home ’cause you’re not home,” Tomlinson sings.
1. “Don’t Let It Break Your Heart”
Tomlinson has endured a rough last few years. His mother, Johannah Deakin, passed in 2016 after battling leukemia, and his sister, Felicite, passed in 2019 of a heart attack. “Don’t Let it Break Your Heart” seems to be Tomlinson’s ode to them.
As he struggles with recovering from the loss of two of the people closest to him, he tries to think optimistically, promising himself it’s only up from what he’s currently feeling: “It comes, it goes / We’re driving down a one-way road to something better, something better / What hurts you is gonna pass, and you’ll have learned from it when it comes back / You’ll be doing better.” The track is the only one on that album that’s worthy of more than a couple listens, making it the best on Walls.
Rating: 1.5/5
