Just Hold On

For Johannah

Just Hold On by Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson

(Actual song begins at about 1:00)

You didn't think I was going to sleep on this, did you?

Louis Tomlinson, in his first move as a solo artist, released this collab that he did with Steve Aoki out of nowhere this past weekend. I mean, there was definitely talk that Tomlinson was working on some of his own music, given that he was the last member of One Direction who had yet to reveal his personal project for during the hiatus, but the performance on the X Factor finale was a bona fide surprise.

Coming just a few days after the passing of his mother, the performance (embedded above) is heart-wrenching. Sure, it's an upbeat and optimistic pop song, but the lyrics are tinged with something wistful on their own, and they're downright bittersweet in this context.

The whole song is applicable, but here are some excerpts:

Wish that you could build a time machine...

What do you do when a chapter ends?
Do you close the book and never read it again?
Where do you go when your story's done?

The sun goes down, and it comes back up.
The world, it turns no matter what.

It's not over 'til your dying breath.

So what do you want them to say when you're gone?
That you gave up or that you kept going on?

If it all goes wrong, darling just hold on.

I'm not crying, you're crying.

(Also, okay, that's almost the entirety of the lyrics, but can you blame me?)

I would say Tomlinson's voice is an acquired taste, but I also have been a One Direction fan for three years and still haven't quite grown to love it. But I mean, he sounds, like, fine. It's kind of endearing. You can listen to the studio version here if you want something a little cleaner.

Aoki is keeping it real back there with all that techno electronic instrumentation. I'm too tired to dance, but I'm bouncing to this beat.

It's got good vibes, musically and lyrically. If it ends up being a hit (I mean more than it already is - it's gotten some "early radio play" on U.S. radio stations), I'll be okay with hearing it during my commutes.

(Until it becomes obnoxiously overplayed, like The Chainsmoker's Closer. They're kind of the same genre, so I could see Just Hold On following in those footsteps.)

(Real talk, it's so bubblegum that I can already feel myself getting sick of it, and I've only listened on repeat for like 30 minutes. It's like when you're eating candy or a rich dessert, and you are really having a good time, but in the back of your mind, you know what's coming.)

But anyway, I'm proud of the kid.

Overview:

Genre:
Pop / EDM

Favorite Lyrics:
Feels like you're standing on the edge
Looking at the stars
And wishing you were them.

Verdict:
always in my heart