Niall Horan, “The Show.”

Despite having a number of years in the music industry under his belt, Niall Horan is still relatively new as a solo artist. After One Direction’s breakup, the Irish artist made two solo albums since 2017. His newest offering, The Show, is an opportunity to further establish his individuality, but he falls short at times. Despite his high level of skill, his attempts at the more upbeat pop tracks come off more like One Direction deep cuts or variations of former bandmate Harry Styles‘ solo work. So this 10-track piece could be stronger, but there are moments where Horan is able to shine as well.

One of Horan’s strengths is his songwriting, and he flexes those muscles on The Show. The opening title track is a piano ballad that speaks to the complexity of life’s struggles, along the theme of needing to experience the bad to appreciate the good. It also examines the “the show” we all put on in our lives to hide our true feelings or weaknesses. At its core, the song is a reminder that everyone is going through something.

Acoustic-guitar-driven “You Could Start A Cult” shows off Horan’s lyrical creativity. The fun love tune details the extent to which someone would love another; hence, “You could start a cult” is the main refrain throughout the chorus. (Because “I would walk 500 miles” was already taken). The composition doesn’t go much beyond the guitar, except for an unexpected but fitting harmonica solo toward the end of the song. That leaves Horan’s metaphors at the forefront. Even as he sings about cults, wars and overthrown kingdoms, the song remains sweet without getting complex. Another example of Horan’s songwriting arrives on “Science,” a piano-focused track that talks about how life can be overwhelming but we roll with the punches.

But when Niall Horan tries to get back to his pop roots, the songs aren’t as strong. “Save My Life” is a bright and fast-paced track full of percussion, electric guitar lines, synths and even a saxophone solo. It has a vaguely ’80s vibe. Fun? Sure. But it’s disjointed and busy; like a battle of pop eras in under three minutes. The lyricism is on the stale side, relying on “love at first sight” tropes.

The vocalizations and guitar layering of “If You Leave Me” are similar to Styles’ Harry’s House. Is it fair to compare the two? You decide. But Styles’ smash album came first and set the precedent. The lyricism takes a back seat as Horan swells with heartbreak hyperboles. The two-and-a-half-minute “Meltdown” follows in these similarities: a quick tempo, lots of snare strikes, synths and chorus. It feels familiar but doesn’t offer anything new. Again: These aren’t bad songs. But they’ve been done better and recently.

The former boy band star has a good grip on his balladry, but he needs to bring more to the table to come up with a jam that’s uniquely his. The Show will likely produce a viral hit or three. But online success isn’t the same as writing a great song that sticks with you for years. He’s got more work to do in that regard.

Follow writer Piper Westrom at Twitter.com/plwestrom.