Everyone loves a nice surprise, don't they? When we heard that One Direction's Louis Tomlinson had released an 'Industrial Rock' single - that description courtesy of Rolling Stone - we'll be honest, we were bracing ourselves for the worst, but actually, to be fair, Out Of My System, which we're gonna suggest is more 'electro-punk' than 'industrial', won't have you gnawing off your hands in second-hand embarrassment.
It may be be unfair to make the comparison, but it's an undeniable fact that Tomlinson's solo career has yet to match the success enjoyed by his world-conquering bandmate Harry Styles: to be fair, very, very few pop stars can boast comparable sales, and given that One Direction have collectively sold over 70 million albums, it's unlikely that Tomlinson will be busking in the streets for pocket change any time soon. So why not explore darker sonic territory?
With his second solo album, Faith in the Future, set for release on November 11, Tomlinson recently thanked fans, via Twitter, "for allowing me to make the music I want to make."
Out Of My System is certainly a departure for the 30-year-old singer.
Ushered in with a distorted bass line, the song opens with the Doncaster-born singer singing 'Slowly / I never wanna go slowly / I only wanna go faster / Towards disaster every time' ahead of a riff-assisted chorus which wouldn't be out of place on singles by fellow Yorkshiremen Bring Me The Horizon or Yungblud. Verse two is even more angsty, with Tomlinson singing, 'Demons / I'm taking all of my demons / And putting them where I won't see them / Cos I just want to feel alive'
A bit of a departure from 'Baby, you light up my world like nobody else / The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed', isn't it?
Listen to the single below:
We're not anticipating Tomlinson announcing a co-headlining tour with Ministry any time soon, but more of this and maybe a second stage booking at Download isn't out of the question...
