Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you know that Zayn recently released his debut solo album: Mind of Mine. With his first single, “Pillowtalk” being such a hit, we knew this album had to be a good one. It’s a different genre that we aren’t used to hearing from Zayn; less bubblegum-pop and more of a R&B vibe. It also shows a more authentic and mature side of Zayn that we never had the chance to see in 1D. Though we’re not entirely sure what’s up with the spelling and scattered upper/lowercase lettering of each song title, somehow it still manages to look cool. Here are some of our personal favorite songs from Mind of Mine.
“TiO” is probably one of the most feel good, seductive songs on the entire album. The beat is sick and it’s an entirely different side to anything we’ve seen Zayn sing about in the past. With lyrics like, “I just wanna watch you when you take it off / take off all your clothes / baby take it off.” It’s definitely direct and straight to the point.
“LIKE I WOULD” starts out a little slow and fills you with anticipation just as you reach the chorus and then BAM! Zayn hits you with an awesome dance-pop song. It’s just as catchy, if not more, than “Pillowtalk.”
“SHe” is probably one of my most favorite songs off the album. The lyrics are spot on describing what most women want; simple, but accurate, “She wants somebody to love, to hold her. She wants somebody to love in the right way.” It’s one of those songs that is perfect for when you’re walking in the street, earphones popped in, and you’re picturing yourself in a music video – with bae.
“WRoNg” is the only track with a feature: Kehlani. For those of you who aren’t familiar with her, she’s pretty much like the female Drake. This is one of those songs that accurately describes our generation in regards to love and lust, “Baby, some people are meant to be loved and others just naked / So take what you’re willing to give / love it or hate it.” Throw in Zayn’s and Kehalni’s R&B sound, crazy vocals and you have a song you’ll be jamming out to for days.
“BeFoUr” showcases Zayn’s effortlessly amazing vocals. It’s very soft spoken and then once the chorus hits, you get hit with the vibe of a young Justin Timberlake circe Justified – very pop. Apart from the sound, the lyrics are rumored to be throwing shade to One Direction with the spelling of the number ‘four’ in the song title (hint: 1D’s last album with Zayn was titled, “Four”) and with some hint worthy lyrics, “I’ve done this before / but not like this,” as in never been part of the music industry as a solo artist, perhaps?
“iT’s YoU” is ballad like. It’s one of those songs you listen to when you’re feeling kind of crappy or heartbroken, even. But you can’t even get too sad because Zayn’s heartfelt vocals will most likely distract you. *Sighs*
“tRutTh” gives off a little bit of a Frank Ocean vibe in the intro sounds of the song. Besides sounding cool and mellow, the song itself is super relatable. We’ve all been in those situations where we’re like, “I’ll let just let karma take care of that.” This is the perfect song that delivers that message.
“Do Something Good” is part of the Target exclusive and it gives off a very tropical, Caribbean like sound – almost with a Bob Marley vibe. It contains relaxing, soothing sounds with an upbeat chorus that includes a background choir of some kind, making it the perfect song to jam out to in the car, no matter the mood.