Tim: Not content with just putting out a new trailer for their second film and launching their new perfume —
Tom: I’m still proud of what I helped do to their first perfume commercial.
Tim: Ha, as well you should be — the boys decided yesterday to round off the beginning of September with plonking a new track online, in full Beyoncé style, with no warning whatsoever, for anyone and everyone to download.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEjqrbPXGlw
Tim: And I think we can all be entirely relieved that they’ve basically forgotten about that whole ‘rock’ thing – seemingly, their musical journey has done the rebellious teenager bit and is now ready to go back to sensible stuff. Or perhaps they just noticed that Midnight Memories was considerably less successful than either of their previous two offerings – too cynical?
Tom: Perhaps they’ve just got the same Third Album Syndrome as Lady Gaga?
Tim: Could well be, yes. To be honest, I don’t know what I think about this – sure, it’s decent enough, and there are a number of good things to say about it, maybe, I think? I don’t know, really. It doesn’t seem like a lead single.
Tom: Well, I’m going to be a bit more forthright: if this wasn’t a One Direction track, it’d sink without a trace.
Tim: I don’t want to describe it as standard, even though it basically is, because I’ve listened to it nine times now and I’m showing no signs of getting bored of it, so it must be doing something right.
Tom: Really? I can’t see why. It’s nice enough, I suppose, but it’s so middle-of-the-road that it basically belongs on Radio 2’s playlist. And not even their A playlist, either. Maybe their C playlist at best.
Tim: I am at least now more interested than I previously was in their next album (imaginatively titled ‘Four’), so I suppose that’s good. OH, IT’S FINE – not amazing, but certainly not terrible, and definitely very listenable.