I’ve been moaning about wanting new music from Zayn Malik for a while. And when I say a while I mean from the moment I’d finished listening to the Mind Of Mine album for the 22nd time one otherwise grey and drizzly afternoon in March of 2016. What a day.
But Z-Day is finally upon us, you guys. Prayer hand emojis at the ready. Exactly one year on from the debut album, we've got some new music to share. (I decided that the duet with Swifty for the 50 Shades soundtrack doesn’t really count).
So, what of Still Got Time, you ask? Well, it’s not quite as Zayn as you might have expected from a Zayn track. In fact, it’s very Drake circa like, 10 months ago. You remember the time he and Rihanna once again came together in musical union to do Too Good? There are definitely echoes of their hit in Zayn's new song. Not saying it's a good thing, not saying it's a bad thing. But I'm noting the deja vu. That said, Still Got Time was produced by a chap called Frank Dukes who has also worked with Drake in the past so, you know... figures.
Now you're probably wondering what exactly we've still got time for. My guess is that Zayn and PND are referring to finding the big L.O.V.E. Swoon much? 'Just stop lookin' for love, girl you know you still got time’, Zayn sings (a few times). ‘This could be something if you let it be something. Don’t scare me away, turning somethings into nothing babe’.
Sounds a lot like the plot of a rom-com, doesn't it? Boy meets girl. Girl want's relationship with boy but is feeling super vulnerable after her shitty break up with her ex, so doesn't fully open up to boy. Boy then has to prove to girl that he's not like other boys. He's one of the good boys. He's not going to rush her into anything (because they've still got time, you see), he's just going to gently remind her every now and again that they could really be 'something'. If she'd let it.
‘Come give it to me yea, ah yea. Come give it to me play by play', Zayn sings. 'I can tell you’ve been bored all day because you’re young and you’ve still got time don't waste your time. We been wasting away, ah yea. And no matter what you say ah yea. That smile gonna take you places. And I know you wanna see some faces'. Okay, we're not experiencing the work of a lyrical mastermind over here, but let's put that to the side for a second.
In the second verse PARTYNEXTDOOR steps up to the plate with a stellar 'boyfriend material' line. 'I'm working my magic, and I know you're digging my fabric. I'm boyfriend material', he sings. Classic. He then goes on to sing about how they both be diggin' each other but aren't doing anything about it which is just tragic, really. They seem to really like each other. 'But I got to let you know, slowly, well it may be truthfully, but you just gotta stop looking for it'. And I believe the 'it' here is love. You just gotta stop looking for love. Because if you give it a chance, it'll find you, right? Hey, it worked for Zayn and Gigi.
So, the Still Got Time verdict? Let's focus on the pros. It's catchy so whether you're into it or not, it'll be stuck in your head for a while until you grow to love it anyway. It's by Zayn so that's an instant win in the 'How To Be In Love With Zayn Malik'* rulebook. And also a single normally suggest progress towards an album which would probably make my 2017. That's in the rulebook too.
*Not a real book. Might consider writing it, though.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.