Now that One Direction have confirmed that they will continue on as a four-piece after the departure of band member Zayn Malik, they have returned to the studio to work on their fifth album. 

Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne spent most of yesterday (April 13) writing new songs and Payne took to his official Twitter page to update fans on their progress. The heartthrob wrote: "1st day writing the album it's gunna [sic] be a great day! Huge day of writing, so excited! The team never stops! Wonder what tomorrow's writing will bring?"

1D, meanwhile, recently unveiled their first tour poster showing them as a foursome (pictured above left) and they are set to resume their On The Road Again tour later this summer on June 5 with a performance in Cardiff, Wales. 

Joe Jonas has given his opinion on Malik's decision to quit the band and confessed that he knows what it's like to walk away from a successful music group so can empathise with him: 

"Look, I went through it myself and Nick [Jonas], my brother, tweeted the other day that sometimes you have to go through some tough decisions to find true happiness and I stick behind him on that... You know it is not easy. They are under so much scrutiny in their spotlight. And to live a normal free life is difficult, sometimes you want to be a kid and you want to grow up. To find normalcy in the craziness is the most important."

Follow us: @Pressparty on Twitter / Pressparty on Facebook. 

Watch footage of the boys performing without Malik here: