Single Review: Niall Horan – ‘This Town’
2 min read
With One Direction officially on hiatus and the members all pursuing their own paths, it was only a matter of time before Niall Horan began his own solo career. Fellow ex-band member Zayn Malik came out of the gates at full speed, redefining his image and tackling a variety of different genres, but Niall took a different, more familiar route with his own debut solo single, This Town.
At its core, This Town could be viewed as something rather similar to One Direction’s minimal acoustic ballads. The song places most of its focus on the acoustic guitar that opens the song and the piano that soon follows, but backs it up with a mere glimpse at a percussive beat and a swell of strings as it enters its later stages. It’s a nostalgic kind of track, singing of heartbreak but still capturing the nostalgia of the lyrics perfectly. Unsurprisingly, Niall’s voice slots into the track perfectly, and the entire package just works together. This Town might run the risk of being called too safe or predictable, given that Niall hasn’t undergone as much of a career reformation as some of his bandmates have, but This Town is the kind of song Niall does perfectly.
Whether you view the familiarity of This Town as a positive or negative trait, it makes for a great debut single when mixed with Niall’s personal artistry. He takes to the chance to show off his skills alone perfectly, and shines far more on this simple folksy track than he did on many of One Direction’s own songs. So far, Niall seems to be on the right track to creating a fulfilling solo career that long-time fans can comfortably enjoy.
Having read this review and disagreed throughout I felt a growing urge to research the person conducting this review. After seeing the types of interviews that Michael seems to be drawn to frequently (ru pauls drag race and smash hits music) it seems very strange to have somebody who seems to be so far out of this scene reviewing this album. I mean c’mon? somebody who reviews One directions Nial’s single as a whopping 4.5 out of 5* surely shouldn’t be left alone with a keyboard to review actual music now should he?
Hey Mike. Thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately your research skills appear to have failed you on this occasion. While Michael’s side projects on the website include RuPaul’s Drag Race, he is in fact a jack of all trades including being on of our senior music critics; specialising mainly in the pop scene – one that you would agree includes the likes of One Direction and its members solo work. One Direction and its members music is Smash Hits music so your implying that Niall’s music falls far from being Smash Hits music is quite perplexing. Are you aware who Niall Horan is? You also refer to this review being of an album but its just a single review. Perhaps you are thinking the review is of someone elses work? Thanks for your feedback though – always great to hear from readers :)