thank you for giving it a chance. it's okay, it's not for everyone. he did a ton of interviews before the album dropped to prepare people for the big genre switch (it's not really his fault some missed the memo and wanted his old stuf). based on those interviews, this is the most ZAYN he has ever been. so it's okay that you don't like it, but what you said was just not true. he was putting out music he thought people would like and hit his voice a lot, not the kind he necessarily wanted. even despite this, the music was good, and his albums will always have a very special place in my heart. still, he worked on this album for 6 years and put more of himself into it than some of the previous projects so maybe it's the unmatched expectations preventing you from listening to what he's actually saying with this album - no, how it feels is not a song about a friend moving away, and he actually loves his producer. maybe watch some of his interviews before you listen to the rest? doing a blind reaction is not always the best especially not with this album... you don't have to continue if you really hate it this much, but I really hope you at least listen to it on your own time. give it a chance, some of the songs (if you're not a fan of alt/indie music) are growers, but there are some songs towards the end of the album that sound similar to his previous albums. and the last 5 songs were solely produced by himself
Zayn had expressed that he didn't want this album to be over produced and over dubbed so what you're are hearing are his original raw vocals, faults and all! I personally love it to all the over manufactured music of today and of course it matches his lives vocals as well. He also stated its not quite country or anything you can put in a box and easily label which is why each song is contrasting. Oh you didn't react to his last demo songs either as stated in title.
