Album Review: Nobody is Listening by ZAYN

Nobody is Listening 

ZAYN 

RCA Records

Score: B+ 

Zayn Malik, formerly of One Direction, has released his introspective third album, Nobody is Listening. It’s as if Zayn had written this album in his bedroom with the door locked as the daylight leaks in from the Sunday afternoon sunshine. The album feels like a glimpse or a whisper into his innermost thoughts but unfortunately, that’s all we seem to get — a glimpse.

 In “Unfuckwitable”, Zayn sings, “I’m unfuckwitable, in a world of my own,” and it shows. But it feels like Zayn’s describing his world to us while fully aware that we’re watching from outside the proverbial window. 

Zayn starts the album with “Calamity” and ends with “River Road”, giving his listeners an interesting spectrum between the two. The striking contrast of the apparent rap roots of “Calamity” to the experimental falsetto vocals featured in “River Road”. Overall, Nobody is Listening is an insider view into Zayn, exploring him both as an artist and as a person. 

— Keoputhy Bunny