It has been a big week in pop music – One Direction and Justin Bieber are back.
Everyone thought 1D were indulging in a well-earned break after a tumultuous world tour during which Zayn Malik quit, but the British boy band were actually slaving away in a studio, and released the Spotify exclusive Drag Me Down. It's the first single from their highly anticipated fifth album, which will be released later in the year.
The move comes on the back of Bieber's announcement on American Idol host Ryan Seacrest's radio show that he is dropping a new single, What Do You Mean, on August 28. Bieber than released a short snippet of the track online.
While it is early days yet, both songs provide clues about the possible direction the artists will take in the future.
When it comes to 1D, Drag Me Down is not exactly groundbreaking.
Then again, that has never been the group's shtick, anyway. While their big-selling peers are always looking to hop on the next musical bandwagon, 1D are content with being followers – their songwriters study the crowd-pleasing elements of modern pop music and stitch them all together into an irresistible package. It's why tracks such as Best Song Ever and Little Things are infectious, despite their redundant style. This relentless focus on the tunes has helped them successfully survive the departure of Malik (not counting the mental breakdown that it gave a few million fans).
Their first Malik-less release, Drag Me Down, may initially sound as though it's business as normal, but it heralds the debut of a new vocal configuration.
With Malik gone, the responsibility for delivering the big, skyscraping hook has gone to Niall – whose strong, husky vocals have finally emerged from the shadow of his former bandmate’s vocal intensity.
Another good thing to have come from Malik's departure is that the band sound tighter as a quartet. In Drag Me Down, everybody gets more time to shine, with the exception of the subdued sounding Liam Payne.
Because Bieber has only released a 15-second snippet of What Do You Mean, it would be unfair to make a general assessment of the track, but the clear dance-synth lines illustrate the fact that his recent foray into EDM isn't a mere flirtation – it could signal a new direction.
Those who have been following the 21-year-old Canadian (for his music, not his private life) can trace his new leanings to some of the key tracks from his previous album, 2012's Believe, with the anthemic All Around the World and the electro-fuelled Beauty and the Beat (which was produced by acclaimed German producer Zed). Then late last year, Biebs began hanging out with current EDM king Skrillex at his gigs. The friendship has also extended to the studio. Bieber joined Skrillex and fellow super-producer Diplo to record the new single Where Are You Now for the pair's new collaborative project, Jack Ü. The single is rather good, seamlessly melding tumbling dance beats and sugar-pop melodies.
If What Do You Mean continues in that vein, it can only help Bieber's quest to grow out of his young teenage fan base towards an older, hipper crowd.
sasaeed@thenational.ae
