one album in and there’s already a bunch of songs I already knew that I had no idea were him. What I’m feeling, though, is that he’s super competent and able, he writes good pop songs, I like it, I just don’t really care about it. It doesn’t draw me in, it’s not interesting to me. Harry Styles feels like he took what he learned from 1D and then went and became Harry Styles, did his own thing, stepped outside the 1D path to find something new. Niall Horan feels like he took what he learned from 1D and matured it, advanced it. My issue is that I think that the developmental sequence of what the boy band can become is limited, is capped. To move beyond it you can’t just push through, you have to step away. My impression here is that Horan is pushing through, and he’s doing a legitimately great job of it, but it doesn’t feel like he’s stepping away. He might be moving into a different mold, but it’s too adjacent a mold, and it’s definitely still a mold. Not to say that Styles is musically groundbreaking or unique, but he’s definitely got character.
And, at the end of the day, I think Horan is just… not as good, and to some extent that’s all it can really come down to. I can justify and rationalize why or how or what my experiences were that led me to that, but ultimately I think some people are better than others, I like some more and some less, and I like Styles more. That theme stayed pretty constant throughout all three of Horan’s albums. I do like him, I think he’s solid, but nothing about him catches my attention in any significant way. Even as I kept listening and kept liking each album more than the list, I became more and more aware that I don’t really care. I think it’s pretty good, I think it’s pretty well done, I think Horan stuck the landing from 1D with grace and poise, and I just don’t really care about him. There’s nothing in here that makes me care about him as an artist, nothing that gets me invested.
And again, sometimes I think that’s kinda just how it is. I could say any number of things about how interesting or how novel or how whatever Horan is or isn’t and why that means I don’t care about him, but when it comes down to it I think this one is really just tastes and preferences. I don’t prefer Horan, he is unexciting and not attractive to me despite everything he does well, a solid B
tunafruitsandwitch 
Niall Horan – I didn’t realize I knew so many of your songs! He is a legitimately good pop song writer. And he is handsome. And likeable. And clean cut. And has a nice voice. I might swoon if I saw him perform live. I would trust him with my house when I am on vacay. I bet he comes from a good family. A family that had a hot dinner at the table every night. Together. He is the Mendelssohn of the pop music world. I really enjoyed listening. Good stuff. I think he has the potential to excel as a songwriter and possibly a producer. I give him a B. So why the B? The B is because I didn’t find his music interesting, just really enjoyable. But don’t get me wrong, the B is solid. And surprising! I was expecting to give him less. So, well done Niall!
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