Room Under the Stairs is the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter Zayn. It was released through Mercury and Republic Records on 17 May 2024. Production was primarily handled by Zayn and Dave Cobb, alongside Gian Stone, James Ghaleb, Carter Lang, Rodaidh McDonald, German, and Kareen Loomax. The "Z Sides" version of the album was released three days later, which includes five additional tracks with two of them being demos. Serving as the follow-up to Zayn's previous album, Nobody Is Listening (2021), it is his first project not to feature any guest appearances. The album spawned three singles: "What I Am", "Alienated", and "Stardust". The album received generally favourable reception from music critics. It debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart and number fifteen on the US Billboard 200.
Background
In July 2023, Zayn was interviewed by Alexandra Cooper of Call Her Daddy, where he revealed that he was recording a new album and spoke about some of its content and sound: "I'm doing a record I don't think people are really gonna expect... And it's got...like real-life experiences and stuff... [like] My daughter".[1]
On 28 February 2024, American record producer Dave Cobb revealed that he was working with Zayn on the (then) upcoming album in an interview with Rolling Stone, in which he said: "You can hear love, loss, pain, triumph and humanity in [his voice]... Zayn has really created his own universe on this record, he...has no fear and is speaking straight from his soul".[2] Exactly a week later, in a teaser video, Zayn said: "The intention... fully is for the listener to get more insight on me...as a human being".[3]
The cover art for Room Under the Stairs was considered to be a representation of Zayn's change in sound, with a simple illustration of a room under a staircase superimposed on his silhouette.[4]
Conception and influence
"I think the intention behind this album fully is for the listener to get more insight on me personally as a human being... my ambitions, my fears, and for them to have a connection with that and that's why it's so raw. It's just me. There's just me writing this, I didn't want anyone else to be in between me and the music, and the music and the people listening to it."
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Zayn stated that listening to Chris Stapleton and Willie Nelson inspired the songwriting for this album, marking a shift away from the R&B sound of his first three albums towards "a more rustic and soulful sound".[7]
According to Clash, Room Under the Stairs is a "true coming-of-age story... where he draws on genres such as soul, country, and pop, and his lyrical sincerity and renewed creative freedom have taken his music in an exciting and interesting direction that no one saw coming."[8]
Composition
Music
The album includes "soulful" vocals on "Grateful", "Alienated" and "My Woman". Other tracks like "Stardust" was called an emotional and deep "country pop ode". "Gates of Hell" was considered to be an indie rock track with "soft rock Americana" and "an odd American twang" to Zayn's vocals appearing later in the track. "What I Am" was called soft pop and "False Starts" was noted for its "long falsettos". "Fuchsia Sea" was described as a "confused combination of soft rock and R&B".[9]
Songs
"This is my favorite album that I've made to date, mainly because it comes from a place of sheer honesty and vulnerability, I wanted each song to feel as if it was just me sitting beside you telling you how I feel, singing directly to you. It's raw and stripped back and the type of music I always hoped to make. Working with Dave Cobb has been an amazing experience. The way he's elevated the music is second to none, and he has done an incredible job helping me create this record. I hope we can take listeners on some whimsical, magical journey, and that they enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed making it."
"I think just being where I was at that time, staying away from things and living with my own thoughts inspired me to want to write something from that place. I've got to put this out as a whole body of work, it's something for myself, not even just for the world."
Zayn's sonic reinvention arrives immediately in Room Under the Stairs, as the opener "Dreamin" pairs his general sense of yearning with blues rock that reaches out for listener participation.[11] Remaining at a jazzy pace throughout, "Dreamin" showcases Zayn's remarkable voice reaching new peaks as he effortlessly weaves in and out of R&B-styled runs.[8]
"What I Am", released as the lead single, is a soulful, bruised ballad with a lovely, gliding chorus.[12] Fully removing Zayn from his past rhythmic-pop territory and embarking on a folksy new beginning.[11] His rich, elegantly frayed vocal coats a soft rock lilt and nagging melody.[13] The album's third track "Grateful", is alternately languid and soaring, with Zayn given a platform to show off his full, impressive vocal range.[12] He sounds fully unlocked over the swaying rock production.[11]
The second single "Alienated" is a raw soul-flecked track.[14] It contains country rock undertones and a "soulfulness that connects the song with his past oeuvre".[11] The track "My Woman" is sexy in Zayn's classical style, but with a more mature, timeless feel.[15] It works as a simple, spaced-out rocker, with Zayn hovering above a collection of guitars, keys and drums.[11] "How It Feels" is an emotionally raw lament,[13] aiming for folksy reflection.[11] While sweeping strings and church-worthy keys support his yearning cries.[16]
On "Stardust", Zayn operates in a different sound than he is used to, but relies on his well-worn vocal warmth. The song benefits from a sense of tempo and nicely crafted hooks.[11] Easily the highlight, and one that will lend itself perfectly to concert sing-a-longs.[15] "Gates of Hell" is a raw, rough around the edges and intriguingly unbothered with pop appeal.[11] "Birds on a Cloud" is one of the sole moments of up-tempo blood rush.[16] Zayn's voice is purposely thinned out, sounding emotionally wobbly, the brittleness of the performance is effective given the lyrical themes.[11]
"Concrete Kisses" includes instrumentation from "sparkling" keys and a "meandering" bassline.[17] The song "shrugs off the misery with rollicking keyboard work and full-bodied soul rock".[11] It was also called "a gorgeous, intimate and thought-provoking record".[15] "False Starts" contains a slow build.[8] The vocal performance on "False Starts" is dynamic with Zayn leaning into his falsetto and showing off the full spectrum of his technical talent.[11] "The Time" offers an instrumentation of honeyed mix of guitar and drums.[11] However, according to Variety his vocal riffs and embellishments often sound too rugged or misplaced against the instrumentation.[18]
Zayn locates a beautiful meeting point between the R&B stylings of his solo past and the more guitar-driven fare, "Something in the Water" is a cross-genre gem, giving Zayn a chance to delve into wedding-song material in earnest.[11] "Shoot at Will" is a sterile ballad about being lured back into the past.[19] Although Zayn spends much of "Shoot at Will" sounding resigned to an unhappy fate, the tender acoustic guitar offers a glint of hope, as the song threatens to boil over into buoyant folk pop but never crosses the threshold.[11] The closing "Fuschia Sea" returns to the smooth and sultry vocal deliveries that we heard from Zayn's previous projects.[18] The song features an excellent, emotion-drenched vocal performance.[12]
Release and promotion
Zayn announced the album alongside with its cover art and release date on 13 March 2024.[20] He released a 45-second teaser video exactly a week before and made the album available for pre-order.
Singles
"What I Am" was released on 15 March 2024 as the lead single for the album, it was accompanied by a lyric video.[21] "Alienated", the second single for the album was released with an accompanying live performance on 12 April 2024.[22] "Stardust" was the third single of the album, which was accompanied with a music video that was released the same day of the album.[23]
Zayn announced his first-ever solo live show at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on May 17 in celebration of the release of his fourth album Room Under the Stairs. He performed a selection of tracks from his new LP.[24]
Room Under the Stairs received generally positive reviews from music critics. The album received a score of 69 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on ten reviews, which the website categorised as "generally favorable" reception.[26] Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic commented that "more than a reductive Zayn goes country" album, the beautiful Room Under the Stairs is the sound of an artist trying something brave and new, tapping into his soul and coming out on the other side with the strongest album of his career to date."[16]
Shannon Garner of Clash stated that it "is a revealing meditation of his journey in life where he lays his thoughts and feelings bare and the songs are built on a relaxing energy". She followed, "it also finds him exploring the hard notion of healing and self-discovery whilst remaining true to himself and that's something his fans should be proud of."[8]
The Daily Telegraph stated that the album shows "Malik's voice washes over you in slow, sensual waves, backed by instrumentals that sound more at home in dingy dive bars than brightly-lit stadiums."[19]
Dan Harrison of Dork called the record a "poignant reminder that sometimes losing one's way is the first step toward being truly found. It's a courageous, creative statement from an artist who has emerged from the crucible of personal evolution battle-scarred yet unbroken, with a clarity of voice and purpose as bracing as it is beautiful."[27]
Michael Cragg of The Guardian expressed that the "album is another unexpected manoeuvre. Eschewing his pop R&B sound, it focuses on rustic acoustic guitars, tinkling keys and the patter of live drums". He also stated that "it's a record that further cements Malik as an intriguing outlier."[13]
Sophia Simon-Bashall of The Line of Best Fit praised the album, stating that "they're Zayn's stories but they're shared in such an honest, straightforward yet compelling manner that they feel like your own."[15]
The album was listed on entertainment website Culture Fix as one of their best albums of 2024, noting: "Zayn Malik reached new creative highs with his artistically vibrant Room Under the Stairs" and adding that the album "impresses thanks to its rustic grooves, intimate vulnerability, and battle-scarred production."[28]
Commercial performance
Zayn made a notable comeback with Room Under the Stairs, which debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart.[29] Internationally, the album debuted at number nine in Germany and the Netherlands,[30][31] and number sixteen in Australia.[32]
In the United States, the album entered the top 20 on the Billboard 200, ranked at number fifteen.[33] Additionally, for the first time, Zayn appeared on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart, debuting at number five,[34] and at number five on the Americana/Folk Albums chart.[35] The album sold 29,000 equivalent album units in the US in its first week.[36]
