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Label: Mercury Records / Island Records UK
Released: 17th May 2024
In the years since his sudden departure from One Direction, Zayn Malik has embarked on a musical odyssey that’s taken him from the dizzying heights of pop superstardom to the quiet solitude of rural Pennsylvania. Now, with his fourth solo album, ‘ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS’, he’s crafted a deeply personal and strikingly mature record that sees him trading the slick R&B of his earlier work for a strikingly raw, country-inflected sound that allows his emotive vocals to take centre stage.
From the opening notes of ‘Dreamin”, it’s clear ZAYN is in a reflective space. Over a gentle acoustic guitar, he sings of “dreamin’ life away” – a sentiment that sets the tone for an album steeped in melancholy yet pierced by shards of hope – an intimate reckoning with love, loss, and the endless journey of self-discovery.
ZAYN confronts the complexities of the human experience with unusual candour. On haunting tracks like ‘What I Am’ and ‘Alienated’, he renders feelings of profound isolation and disconnection in vivid, uncomfortably personal strokes. Yet even in the darkness, his quavering voice conveys a resilience, a quiet resolve to emerge from the chrysalis of pain and forge a more profound sense of selfhood.
Produced by Dave Cobb, the album is refreshingly organic, eschewing pop sheen for an earthy, live atmosphere that allows Malik’s soul-baring performances to take centre stage. The influence of country music is palpable throughout, yet Malik never feels like a tourist in this world – rather, he inhabits these songs with an authenticity and ease that suggests he’s finally found his true musical calling. Under Cobb’s guidance, his voice is allowed to shine, and the spare instrumentation provides the perfect backdrop for his emotive performances.
While poppier detours like the upbeat ‘Birds on a Cloud’ slightly disrupt the cohesive ambience, they’re mere momentary detours in an otherwise strikingly coherent statement of artistic evolution. At its core, ‘ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS’ derives its power from its unflinching honesty and creative daring. By stripping back the production flourishes, Malik has crafted a work that transcends genre, inviting listeners into his innermost struggles and triumphs with disarming intimacy.
And while it may not be the most radio-friendly or overly commercially minded project of Malik’s career, that could well be to its credit. ‘ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS’ is undoubtedly his most honest and authentic work to date. It’s an album that demands to be heard not as a collection of singles, but as a cohesive whole.
For fans seeking the pop thrills of his past, some adjustment may be required, but those willing to join ZAYN on this profoundly personal artistic odyssey will undoubtedly find an artist utterly transformed – a human being who has metabolised his experiences into a haunting yet hopeful expression of hard-won selfhood. By eschewing commercial concerns for such audacious labour of soul-baring authenticity, he has not just redefined his artistry but affirmed its very essence.
‘ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS’ is a poignant reminder that sometimes losing one’s way is the first step toward being truly found. It’s a courageous, creative statement from an artist who has emerged from the crucible of personal evolution battle-scarred yet unbroken, with a clarity of voice and purpose as bracing as it is beautiful. Malik has reinvented himself not only as an artist but also as a human being – and that, in itself, is a remarkable achievement.
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