Nobody Is Listening

The album artwork is designed by Malik and inspired by expressionism and graffiti.[5] The cover of the album was revealed on Zayn's website on 8 January 2021.

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	5.8/10[6]
Metacritic	61/100[7]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Clash	7/10[8]
The Daily Telegraph	[9]
Evening Standard	[10]
The Guardian	[11]
The Independent	[12]
The Irish Times	[13]
NME	[14]
Pitchfork	5.6/10[15]
Rolling Stone	[16]

The album holds an aggregate score of 61 out of 100 on Metacritic based on eight reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7]

Dhruva Balram of NME wrote that the album "has its flaws" and that it "doesn’t add many new colours to his palette" but complimented it for being "wrenchingly intimate and sweetly playful" and "quietly purposeful pop" and that it is "a step in a new and fresh direction for the enigmatic artist".[14] Writing for Rolling Stone, Brittany Spanos felt that Malik "found his sweet spot" with the record, naming "Tightrope" and "River Road" as "two of Malik's best songs to date".[16] Jem Aswad of Variety named the album "concise and to the point" and felt that it "clears the table for whatever might be coming next".[17] Malvika Padin of Clash felt that the record "indicates that he’s achieved some sort of clarity on the direction he wants to take as a solo artist" although she felt that it had "minimal production and few moments of experimentation" that "only offers negligible glimpses into Zayn’s personality".[8] Kitty Empire of The Guardian felt that Malik sounds "freer than ever before" while naming his voice "assuredly elastic", feeling that "the songs suit him more and more" and that he "keeps refining"; she felt the record as a whole was an improvement over Icarus Falls.[11]

In a less positive review, Alexandra Pollard of The Independent opined the album as "a blancmange of watered-down R&B" and felt that it lacked personality. She went on to write that "the lyrics feel insultingly half-arsed" and that he "doesn't do it [his voice] justice here".[12] Kate Solomon of The Daily Telegraph felt the album lacked personality while writing that "he has nothing mature to say" and "fails to make the most of his talents".[9] Writing for The Evening Standard, David Smyth felt that the record included "largely hazy, stoned R&B, offering blurred textures and smoky atmospheres but few standout moments" and that he "may not be sustainable unless the music speaks a little louder"; he did, however, compliment Malik's voice, writing that it was "undoubtable that his vocal ability was wasted on One Direction’s primary-coloured pop."[10] Louise Bruton of The Irish Times wrote that Malik "has now found his niche in lo-fi R&B-pop that’s intentionally made without any aim at all."[13] Dani Blum, writing for Pitchfork, called the album a "low bar he congratulates himself for clearing—knowing that no matter what he sings, legions of fans will listen" and felt that "he’s never sounded like this much of an amateur" while naming the songs "blathering and diluted, a derivation of a derivation.[15]

Credits adapted from Tidal.[18]