Liam Payne Finally Dropped His Solo EP And It's All About Sex, Of Course

Just over a week ago, Liam Payne revealed the reason we still hadn't heard his debut LP, which he'd been teasing for months and at one point had confirmed a release date for. That reason, it turned out, was very personalized. "As you could know, the last few months have seen some big changes for me," the singer wrote on Twitter. "I looked at some of the songs on my album which were done a while ago and so they felt from another age. I'm decided for my debut album to truly symbolize me."


In the meantime, Payne has finally dropped a genuine release with a brand-new EP called First Time on Friday (August 24), and its four tracks follow the template for mid-tempo, lightly moody, and romantic R&B-influenced pop he's set up in the years since One Direction started its hiatus in 2016.





First Time is primarily a showcase for Payne's voice. There's a brief piano ballad called "Depend on It" that finds him tenderly pleading with someone to get back with each other and return to the days of "loving, touching, kissing, fucking like our lives depend on it."


The title track (and new single) sees French Montana and Payne acting like a pair of heartbreakers — including in the just-dropped new music video as well — while residence With Me" and "Slow" are prepared to be added to and queued up on your bedroom-jams playlist.


As for the "big changes" Payne alluded to in his note earlier this month, it was revealed in July that he and Cheryl Cole had split soon after two years with each other. Last year, the paired welcomed a son named Bear.


On social media, Payne thanked fans for their support and added a supplementary photo of himself looking especially moody on release day, which seems crazy because, like, your EP is out, dog! Have a smile.


You can listen to First Time in full above. (And mention, Louis Tomlinson, how's that Arctic Monkeys-inspired debut album coming along?)