When it rains, it pours, and Louis Tomlinson’s fans were practically soaked with good news on Oct. 22. On the heels of the “Kill My Mind” singer announcing the release date of his debut solo album, Louis also gifted his fans with a brand new song. Less than twelve hours after telling his Louies that Walls will arrive within the first month of the new year, Tomlinson shared, “We Made It.” The song is a celebration of two people making their love work, despite all the “hard times” they faced. “Cause we made it / Underestimated / And always underrated / Now we’re saying goodbye / Waving to the hard times / Yeah, it’s going to be alright.”
Would this new track follow the Killers/Franz Ferdinand/indie-pop-inspired sound of his previous single or return to the pop of his 1D days? Perhaps both? Starting off with an acoustic guitar, “We Made It” invokes ideas of Oasis’s “Wonderwall,” and the “yeah-yeah-yeah” in the chorus seem inspired by Coldplay/Imagine Dragons. He seemingly mentions his old life in the lyrics of this song, per Genius. “When you’re here don’t need to say no more / Nothing in the world that I would change it for / Singing something pop-y on the same four chords / Used to worry about it, but I don’t no more (Yeah)”
The video – which is a continuation of the story in the “Kill My Mind” video – sees the fallout of a heist gone….right? The video pulls a Memento, showing what happens to a young lover after he pulls off what seems to be his final crime. Turns out, it was his final crime, as he ends up in the deep after seemingly having his heartbroken.
This song comes after the news that Louis is finally dropping an album. “Hi, everyone,” Louis said in an Oct. 22 Instagram video. “I’m really excited to announce that my new album Walls will be available on January 31st. I’m really relieved to finally be here. Thank you very much, everyone, for your patience.” The 12-song album will feature the three singles he’s released so far: “Two Of Us,” “Kill My Mind,” and “We Made It.” Hopefully, one of these new songs will find their way to the top of the charts. “Two Of Us” only cracked Billboard’s US Digital Song Sales chart, while “Kill My Mind” failed to gain traction.
With Walls, Louis will be the final member of 1D to release a full-length solo album, per Rolling Stone. Zayn Malik, whose deflection from 1D in 2015 shocked Directioners everywhere, debuted Mind of Mine in 2016. Harry Styles released his self-titled debut in 2017, the same year Niall Horan released Flicker. Liam Payne, who announced he’s releasing a cover of “All I Want (For Christmas)” on Oct. 25, will release his debut album, LP1, on Dec. 6. LP1 will include the singles he’s released since 2017 – “Strip That Down,” Stack That Up,” and “For You” – as well as the aforementioned Christmas track.
Before confirming Walls’ release, Louis sent his fans on a scavenger hunt. “Got something hiding around online for you…here’s a head start,” he tweeted, along with a picture of the corner of Walls’ cover art. It didn’t take long for the Louies to solve the puzzle, discovering the album’s name.
Louis released his debut solo single, “Just Hold On,” in 2016. Since then, he’s released several songs, including his Bebe Rexha/Digital Farm Animals collab, “Back To You.” His song “Two Of Us” won Choice Song: Male Artists at the Teen Choice Awards. The track was dedicated to his mother, Johannah Deakin, who passed away from leukemia in 2016.