Tim: Zayn’s debut was pretty good, modern R’n’B; Louis’s took a while to get going but turned to good dance; Niall’s is best not mentioned. Fourth out is Harry, and you might want to strap in because you’ll be here a while.
Tim: Now, I didn’t hear it when it was first broadcast on Friday, but I did observe the Twitter reaction, which from my corner was distinctly unimpressed. And having heard it, it’s not hard to see why: it’s a good sixty per cent longer than it needs to be, it’s very slow and a bit dreary, and just isn’t the upbeat pop that we previously loved. And so I was quite surprised to discover that actually: I like this a lot.
Tom: I can’t believe I’m agreeing with you here. I’m sure I’ve heard parts of this in other tracks, too, but honestly I don’t mind, because when the guitar kicked in and it went in for the big chorus, I actually sat up straight and thought “oh, wow”. It’s really good.
Tim: Isn’t it? One big thing going for it is that somehow it doesn’t feel five and a half minutes long – it feels right. Yes, it’s slow, and maybe if someone sped it up by 30% many people would be a lot happier; on the other hand, I wouldn’t be. What it put me in mind of, actually, and perhaps weirdly, is old Oasis – it doesn’t sound particularly like it, mind, but in terms of feeling, style and general mood, this could sit right on Be Here Now (average track length 6:19).
Tom: Huh. That is a weird comparison, but you’re right: those guitar slides sound a lot more familiar when you put it like that. And those guitar noodlings. And… actually, yeah, it’s Oasis with a falsetto, isn’t it? And that’s apparently okay.
Tim: There’s a relaxed feel to it, but also a defiant “this is my sound, I don’t care if you don’t like it.” It does, after all, take guts to bring out a track from 1997 in 2017, but I say good luck to him – after all, it may even make him “credible”.