''Icarus Falls'' is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Zayn. It was released on 14 December 2018, as a double album by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

. Originally planned for 2017, the album was delayed so that Zayn could focus on the aesthetic and sound the album would adopt, marking a shift from the visual identity used on his debut studio album, '' Mind of Mine'' (2016). ''Icarus Falls'' is a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

influenced by

Greek Mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

and Icarus, addressing themes such as self-love, finding yourself again as a person, and hope. Influenced by the double album structure, Zayn incorporated several sonic elements in addition to R&B, such as pop,

funk rock Funk rock is a fusion genre that mixes elements of funk and Rock music, rock. James Brown and others declared that Little Richard and his mid-1950s road band, The Upsetters (American band), the Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the ...

, trap and

electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...

. He recruited Alan Sampson, MakeYouKnowLove and Malay, who had already worked with Zayn on his previous album, adding Brian Lee, Dan Grech,

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer and rapper. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythm ...

and the duo Saltwives to the production team. Zayn did not promote the album through press interviews and live performances, which he had done on his previous releases. Six international singles—" Let Me", "

Entertainer An entertainer is someone who provides entertainment in various different forms. Types of entertainers

* Acrobat * Actor * Archimime * Barker (occupation), Barker * Beatboxer * Benshi * Bouffon * Cheerleader * Circus arts, Circus perform ...

", " Sour Diesel", " Too Much" featuring Timbaland, " Fingers", and " No Candle No Light" featuring

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...

—supported the album; the first peaked at 73 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "Rainberry" and "Good Years" preceded the album as promotional tracks. ''Icarus Falls'' received generally positive reception from critics, and peaked at 61 on the US ''

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...

'' and 77 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

. The Japanese version of the album features the previously released singles, " Still Got Time", featuring PartyNextDoor, and " Dusk Till Dawn", featuring Sia, which Zayn eventually added onto the track listing as a digital re-release in August 2020.

Background

''Icarus Falls'' was originally scheduled to be released in 2017. The CEO of

, Peter Edge, said the album would consist of a "more optimistic tone to it after coming through that more challenging time", referring to Malik's time as a member of One Direction. In November 2017, Malik stated that the album was "90 percent completed", and would include

as one of its producers. Speaking about why the album was delayed, Zayn said: In early 2018, Malik revealed snippets of clips from the album on Instagram, captioned with "Taster z2". ''Icarus Falls'' is a

inspired by the Greek myth of Icarus. He recalls the story of Icarus, who was told by his

father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...

to not fly too high but not too low with his pair of wings, rather to follow his path of flight. Overcome with thrill because he could now fly, Icarus flew too close to the sun, where the beeswax binding his wings together melted, thus destroying his set of wings. Zayn compares the legend to the ups and downs of his relationship.

Songs

Opening track and lead single "Let Me" is an upbeat pop and R&B track featuring "a slick, easygoing production" as well as "buoyant throwback synths, finger snaps and strumming guitar". Despite there being a censored version of the album, "Common" is still explicit and features the f-word in the track once on the CD format. However, the platform version of the album that features the edited version replaces the f-word with "individual". "There You Are" is an upbeat pop song that was compared to material released during his time in One Direction. "Good Guy" opens the second disc of the album. The track interpolates " Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)", originally released by

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

in 1966, and "swirls with striking atmosphere".

Release and promotion

The album's release was confirmed on 30 November 2018, and released on 14 December 2018.

Singles

" Let Me" was released on 12 April 2018 as the lead single from the album and peaked at number 20 on the UK Singles Chart. "

Entertainer An entertainer is someone who provides entertainment in various different forms. Types of entertainers

* Acrobat * Actor * Archimime * Barker (occupation), Barker * Beatboxer * Benshi * Bouffon * Cheerleader * Circus arts, Circus perform ...

" was released as the album's second single on 23 May and peaked at number 95 in the UK. " Sour Diesel" was released as the album's third single on 18 July. " Too Much" featuring

was released as the album's fourth single on 2 August and charted at number 79 in the UK. " Fingers" was released as the album's fifth single on 18 October. " No Candle No Light" featuring

was released as the album's sixth single on 15 November.

Promotional singles

"Rainberry" was released as the album's first promotional single on 30 November 2018 after the album became available to pre-order on

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

. On 6 December, the song "Good Years" was released as the second promotional single. "There You Are" was released on 11 December as the third promotional single from the album.

Other songs

" Still Got Time" featuring PartyNextDoor was released as a single on 24 March 2017 and peaked at number 24 on the UK Singles Chart. " Dusk Till Dawn" featuring Sia was released on 7 September 2017 and peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart. These songs were included only on the Japanese edition of the album. A music video for "Satisfaction", directed by Bouha Kazmi, was released on 9 January 2019. It follows the story of a romance that is plagued by the hardships of war. On 14 April 2019, Malik released a music video featuring a

bird's-eye view A bird's-eye view is an elevated view of an object or location from a very steep viewing angle, creating a perspective (graphical), perspective as if the observer were a bird in flight looking downward. Bird's-eye views can be an aerial photog ...

of various landscapes for the song "Stand Still". On 29 July 2018, Zayn, via his official

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account, released a three minute long cover of Beyoncé's " Me, Myself and I" as a taster for his fans. The cover would go on to have as many as 1.7 million views.

Critical reception

The album holds an aggregate score of 70 out of 100 on

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

based on nine reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". In a positive review, Helen Brown of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' stated that with "his maturing soulful

falsetto Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ...

, melismatic yearnings that check his heritage, and muzzy, midnight mutterings", listeners "following the shining thread of Malik's voice will be led through winding passages of hope, dope, seduction and evasion." Madison Spira of '' Who'' gave the album a positive review, stating that it is "different to anything we've seen from Zayn before, and that's what makes this album so beautiful" and there "are so many songs I'm convinced most people will relate to on a personal level." Dhruva Balram of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' called it a "27-track mosaic to be poured over time and again" where Zayn "really strikes upon his potential." Rea McNamara of '' Now'' gave it a "great" rating of 4 out of 5, praising how "Zayn grapples with toxic masculinity" and how it "reminds us that sometimes life's lows help us appreciate love's highs". Malvika Padin of '' Clash'' gave it a favourable review, calling it a "relentlessly creative" album that "begins the journey to realising his full potential". Neil Yeung of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

stated that, with "his gorgeous voice and a batch of irresistibly seductive gems, he approaches greatness" but criticised the length, concluding that it "deserves some attention if there's time and patience to spare." Maura Johnston of ''

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'' gave it a favourable review, stating that, while long, it as a fine " high-concept pop album" that "hinges on the idea of excess and its trickery" while referring to Zayn as "a skillful interpreter of pop" and "one of teen idoldom's most enigmatic artists." Tara Joshi of ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' gave it a favourable review, stating that, despite "the intimidating length", there is "plenty here to appreciate" such as vocals "pouring forth a gorgeous falsetto" and often channelling "melismatic

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

/ qawwali-style singing", a "glossy production," and "a variety of styles", concluding that "Malik is defying expectations, remaining in ascent." Conversely, ''

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. History ''Consequence of Sound'' was founded in Septem ...

''s Wren Graves praised some of the songs and Zayn's vocals but criticised the album as a long "half-baked concept album" that is "repetitive and dull," while Pryor Stroud of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' deemed it "bloated" and "forgettable, albeit expertly produced".

Track listing

Notes * signifies a co- producer * signifies an additional producer * signifies a vocal producer * Khaled Rohaim, MakeYouKnowLove, Saltwives, and Henrique Andrade are also credited as vocal producers for the songs they produced. Sample credits * "Good Guy" contains an interpolation of " Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" (1966), written by Sonny Bono and originally performed by

Personnel

Performers * Khaled Rohaim – drums * Lewis Allen – guitar * Michael Hannides – piano , background vocals , drums * Saltwives – drums, guitar, keyboards, programming * Match Anderson – guitar * Anthony Hannides – background vocals * Dan McDougall – bass * Levi Lennox – drums, piano * Alex Al – bass * Donnell Spencer, Jr. – drums *

Vinnie Colaiuta Vincent Peter Colaiuta (born February 5, 1956) is an American drummer known for his technical mastery who has worked as a session musician in many genres. He was inducted into the ''Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and the ''Classic Drumme ...

– drums * Tim Pierce – guitar * Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards * Malay – guitar * Richard Saunders – background vocals * Dave Eggar – cello, strings * Taylor Johnson – drums, guitar * Phil Faconti – strings * Donnie Reis – violin * Matt Kirkwood – bass * Greg Kurstin – drums, guitar, keyboards, piano, programming Technical * Serban Ghenea – mixing engineer * Erik Madrid – mixing engineer * Khaled Rohaim – mixing engineer *

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is a Guatemalan-American record mixing engineer. He has been credited on albums for high-profile pop, R&B, hip hop and rock acts. He has worked with artists including Rihanna, Kanye West, Katy Perry ...

– mixing engineer * Chris Galland – mixing engineer * Dan Grech-Marguerat – mixing engineer * Saltwives – mixing engineer , engineer, recording engineer * Josh Gudwin – mixing engineer * Vinnie Colaiuta – mixing engineer * James F. Reynolds – mixing engineer *

Jaycen Joshua Jaycen Joshua is an American audio engineer based in California. He won three Grammy Awards: the first for mixing ''Growing Pains'' for Mary J. Blige in 2007, followed by '' El mal querer'' for Rosalía in 2018, and ''Hyperspace'' for Beck in ...

– mixing engineer * John Haynes –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

* Zeke Mishanec – engineer , assistant engineer * Beatriz Artola – engineer * John Francis Meehan – engineer * Daryl "D-Zone" Johnson – engineer * Alex Pasco – engineer * Greg Kurstin – engineer * Julian Burg – engineer * Malay – recording engineer * Paul Norris – recording engineer , assistant engineer * Henrique Andrade – recording engineer * Rob Marks – recording engineer * Richard Saunders – recording engineer * Aubry "Big Juice" Delaine – recording engineer * Brian Lee – recording engineer * Sawyr – recording engineer * Tushar Apte – recording engineer * William Binderup – assistant engineer * Jack Thomason – assistant engineer * Robin Florent – assistant engineer * Scott Desmarais – assistant engineer * Pier Giacalone – assistant engineer * Hunter Jackson – assistant engineer * Matthew Sim – assistant engineer * Ludovick Tartavel – assistant engineer * Brian Judd – assistant engineer * David Nakaji – assistant engineer * Ivan Jimenez – assistant engineer * Nick Valentin – assistant engineer * Jacob Richards – assistant engineer * Michael Seaberg – assistant engineer * Rashawn Mclean – assistant engineer * Jamie Peters – assistant engineer * Loren McLean – assistant engineer

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

Footnotes Citations {{Authority control 2018 albums Albums produced by Frank Dukes Albums produced by Greg Kurstin Albums produced by Malay (record producer) Albums produced by Murda Beatz Albums produced by Timbaland 2010s concept albums Classical mythology in music RCA Records albums Zayn Malik albums