{shortcode-858f7eaf87448ba0ca2b5215b1c55514d4c32cba}There’s no surer sign that Zayn Malik has left One Direction for good than the fact that his newest release—an atmospheric take on electro-R&B that makes full and explicit reference to “be[ing] in the bed all day” and “piss[ing] off the neighbors” with what one would presume contextually to be loud sex—is titled “Pillowtalk.” The single, Malik’s first since signing as a solo artist with RCA, presents a complete transformation for the former boyband member, who had previously spoken of feeling constrained by One Direction’s tightly controlled, carefully clean-cut image. Now free from the restrictions against which he had so bristled during his time with the group, Malik escapes the creative stagnation of being in a band marketed to young girls to prove himself a vocal powerhouse and a bona fide musician.

Even while in One Direction, Malik often lost the spotlight to ladies’ man Harry Styles and his other more outgoing bandmates; being the most vocally competent member of a boy band appeared to garner him neither the attention of critics nor the loudest of fangirl screams. Rather, it is “Pillowtalk,” unveiling in solo format the same pipes responsible for the impressive ad-libs in One Direction hits “Best Song Ever” and “You & I,” that finally seems to have communicated to the public that he is, in fact, a good singer. Malik’s voice is a lovely one that has matured in the years since he’s risen to fame, at last smooth and agile enough to suit the R&B he’s always wanted to sing (he auditioned at age 17 for “The X Factor,” where he became a part of One Direction, with a somewhat lackluster version of Mario’s “Let Me Love You”), and “Pillowtalk” showcases his range and technique to full effect.

Beyond serving as a successful vehicle for Malik’s new sound, the single is a good—albeit not great—song in its own right. A The Weeknd-ish amalgam of low, buzzing synth and dripping, hypnotic beats, with an opening riff vaguely reminiscent of Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass,” “Pillowtalk” makes no pretense at innovation, no forays into uncharted musical territory. Instead it accomplishes precisely what it sets out to do: It establishes Malik as a soloist by casting aside his tweenybopper-friendly image to appeal to a wider audience. Inoffensive but not insipid, commercial but not clichéd, the track has already landed Malik at the top of the U.K. charts a week after its release. “Everybody has sex, and it’s something people wanna hear about,” he said of the single in an interview with The Sunday Times; and it would seem that when Zayn Malik is the one doing the talking (or rather the singing), “Pillowtalk” is indeed something that people want to hear.

“Mind of Mine” is out on March 25 via RCA Records.

—Staff writer Victoria Lin can be reached at victoria.lin@thecrimson.com.