Louis Tomlinson, former member of the hit boy-band One Direction, just released his sophomore album on Friday. Titled Faith in the Future, the album is centered around the theme of hope and has a killer pop-rock sound.

Louis starts off his album with the song, “The Greatest.” It’s a song full of strong beats and illustrates the idea of unity with the lyric “together we’re the greatest.” It’s a great song to start off the album, with a very triumphant tone.

The second track on the album, “Written All Over Your Face” starts off with rousing drums and highlights the title. The idea of eyes being the windows to the soul appears in “Headline” as well, with Louis lamenting about a person letting their stubbornness outweigh their kindness, ultimately leading to the end of their relationship. He sings: “You used to read me like a headline,” again highlighting the theme of “Written All Over Your Face.”

Louis released two of the tracks on the album in the weeks leading up to the release. These are “Bigger Than Me” and “Out of My System.” In “Out of My System” Louis sings about putting the past behind him to make the most out of the future. It’s a super upbeat song, and after I write this article, I will be adding it to my motivational playlist.

“Bigger Than Me” is one of my favorites. I think Louis’s message in this song resonates especially with teens. He sings: “When somebody told me I would change/ I used to hide behind a smile/ When somebody told me I would change/ I was afraid, I don’t know why/ ‘Cause so does the world outside, I realized/ And it’s bigger than me/ It’s bigger than me.”

Change is something that can be scary for a lot of people. But I never stopped to consider myself changing. I knew vaguely that everyone changes as we get older, but Louis putting into words his fear about changing was eye-opening. He then realizes the world also changes. As he grows up from the funny boy-band member he once was to the independent adult releasing his second album, he sees the world around him changing as well. Louis reflects on the world as “Bigger than me.” He begins by fearing change but grows to realize the world also changes, and it’s bigger than him. He puts his fear into perspective and realizes that as much as he might change, there will always be a place for him in our huge, ever-changing world.

Louis’s fourth track, “Lucky Again” is a favorite of mine. One of the reasons is that he sings about the “cinema,” the British word for the movie theater. In other songs, he mentions “trainers” (sneakers) and a “jumper” (sweater). Louis’s Doncaster accent and British lingo is always a joy among his non-British fans. In the first verse he sings: “You give and give until it’s gone away/ Just tell yourself you’ve got another day/ You’ve lived that life, you just don’t see it yet/ I see how hard you’ve worked to be yourself.” 

Louis highlights the theme of hope here, in keeping with his title: Faith in the Future. He acknowledges the challenges of life, while keeping a positive tone. Louis advises us to take it one day at a time. Then the chorus, “We were lucky once, I could be lucky again.” This line sums up the hopeful tone of his album. He has faith that in the future he will be “lucky again.”

But not all the songs on his album are happy-go-lucky. In his songs “Chicago” and “Saturdays,” he adds a softer, sadder tone to his album. In “Chicago” he sings about a past relationship that he still values. Louis sings about still being there for someone if they want to talk. He lends a positive tone to the relationship, singing: “Just because it didn’t work/ Doesn’t mean it’s meaningless to me/ It just wasn’t meant to be.” In “Saturdays,” Louis again sings about change in a positive light. He sings: “My heart might be broken, but I won’t be broken down.” This is a great saying to add to an inspiration board, and a good reminder to triumph over the challenges.

One of the last songs on the album, “Angels Fly,” reminds me of a song on Louis’s first album, “Only the Brave.” Louis reveals a star motif through these two songs. In “Only the Brave,” Louis sings: “If the truth tell/ Darling, you fell/ Like there ain’t enough dying stars in your sky.” In Louis’s new song, “Angels Fly,” he sings: “If every star is an eye in the sky/ You’ll see angels fly.” These lines are where Louis gets poetic, and I don’t know what exactly he means. However, I think they add beauty to the songs, especially because Louis sings with so much emotion. 

All sixteen songs on the album are amazing, so I highly recommend a listen. Here’s to Faith in the Future!

By Isabela Pap ‘24, Co-Creative Writing Editor

24ipap@montroseschool.org