Last week on April 17, ZAYN dropped his highly anticipated fifth studio album, KONNAKOL. The pop-forward record marks a full-circle, flourishing evolution from his record-breaking debut project, Mind of Mine. KONNAKOL is coloured with vocal and instrumental riches that build out a world and drop the veil on ZAYN’s recent chapter.
The record showcases its titular technique from the first vocal isolations on the opening notes of track ‘Nursrat’. Named after legendary Pakistani singer-songwriter, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, ZAYN meets us directly with a hypnotically candid monologue for the starting verse of this record. It was the first song created in sessions with producer and co-writer Malay, and the authenticity captured is palpable, stitched through the track with atmospheric vocal layering. ‘Nusrat’ defies expectation by a fast evolution into trap-pop production – sending us sonically into the throes of ZAYN’s experiences.
‘Betting Folk’ is striking in the nostalgia of its chord progression – an attractive pair with an unexpected and interesting pacing of the verses. Lyrically, this track is a release of expectation that charters resignation, hope, resilience, and peace. It’s a self-reflexive nod in which ZAYN privileges experience over assumptions, and alludes to public perceptions at its edges when he’s “Holdin’ on, I let it go / Leave it for the betting folk / You don’t do, you never know.”
‘Used to the Blues’ is a striking genre blend that leans past R&B and deeper into blues than ZAYN often ventures. It’s darker, grittier, and continues to explore romantic escapism, painting a relationship as a vice that relieves reliance on other ones. On this song, we hear how ZAYN can so skillfully bring head noise to life with his muted vocal echoes and the rising prominence of the drum track throughout.
Next up is ‘Sideways’, the second single from KONNAKOL, which speaks for itself in its sultry sound. It’s trademark ZAYN – flirtatious falsetto and intimate lyrics, a match made in pop-R&B heaven. It’s followed by ‘5th Element’, which strips the sentiment back sonically by bringing guitar to the forefront, but steps up ZAYN’s emotional vulnerability.
It lays the groundwork for ‘Prayers’, which ties in religious imagery and shows us that situationships are out, and saviourships are in: “Put your head in my hands / I know I want this, said this in my prayers.” ‘Side Effects’’s gravitational pull marks another ebb and flow in the intensity of ZAYN’s romance. It’s a super smooth listen – which is no surprise from ZAYN, but is a reassuring narrative in the realities of communicating the work that goes into making a relationship flourish through imperfections.
‘Met Tonight’ spins the record on its heels to the dancefloor and then straight back to the bedroom. ZAYN’s vocal delivery on this track is more forward and enunciated, radiating a confidence that evolves from vibey into a higher intensity on ‘Fatal ’. The melodic score is serious, and ZAYN’s world-building expands further on this project as he delivers this post-chorus in Urdu, Pakistan’s national language.
‘Take Turns’ ruminates on a darker desperation that orbits ZAYN’s fear of being alone: “love me like you hate me / like you wanna break me”. On KONNAKOL, we’re seeing a kaleidoscopic emotional range of ZAYN’s sensuality as much as that of vocal technique and percussion, and this track is tough texture in a raw state.
‘Blooming’ revives an optimism with a chord progression and opening line that nods to The Killers ‘Mr. Brightside’. There’s a marked sonic elation as the beat eases off in the prechorus, affirming this track as a clearing of the fog, a shift in mindset. This song is charged with fresh, unique energy that comes a long way from clutching others from the clutches of fears previously confessed to. “I’m not scared of my shadow, of things that I’ve let go / When life falls to ruins, is it dying or blooming?”
‘Like I Have You’ is a further exercise in subverting the expectations laid in the run of primary tracks on this project, reminding us that he “gets perspectives that only get angles” in more ways than one. ZAYN’s vocal delivery transforms maturely once more, as his Yorkshire accent comes through stronger on ‘Like I Have You’ than it feels like it has on any of his other records thus far. This rings true for the raspiness on ‘Loving The Way I Do’ too, which stands assured in an emotive confidence complemented by a soft-rock return of heavier guitar.
‘Breathe’ marries synth, strings, and ZAYN’s signature falsetto into a spacious instrumentation. It’s graceful, and it’s intense, billowing out into full-bodied vocals that pave a pulse that reprieves before the grandiose conclusion of ‘Die For Me.’ It’s unusual to end the album on a lead single, the first taste of KONNAKOL now a lens for the project in retrospect, like the frame of a rearview mirror. This time, the melodrama runs higher in its full immersion of emotional stakes. The final lyrics, “said you would die for me / said you’d never, never let me go,” capture both the weight of the promises forged during the intense beginning rush and what you have to reconcile at a devastating end.
Stream KONNAKOL by ZAYN now on all streaming platforms.
