Back with his third album, the pop powerhouse Harry Styles continues to throw us another curveball. After the huge success of Fine Line with its copious feel-good tracks and the odd heart-wrenching ballad dotted throughout, fans have been forced to wait an agonising three years for the singer to return to his music career.
It seems that the choice to release ‘As It Was’ as the first taste of the new album was the only song fit to welcome us into the new Styles era. The track has a more indie vibe than his previous releases and the lyrics highlight the singer’s move away from his boy band past: “You know it’s not the same as it was”. Immediately listeners are thrown into something unusual and at times it may feel like a disorientating experience for long term fans.
‘Music For a Sushi Restaurant’ is a dreamy disco-esque track. The techno beats and heavy bassline transport the audience back to the 80s with Styles’ mellow vocals aiding the whole perplexing but pleasant experience of the opening track. The instrumental chorus drags you into the world of Harry’s House and prepares you for what is to come. The retro sound continues into the second track, ‘Late Night Talking’. Its simple yet groovy instrumentals paired with addictive vocals will have this track going around your head for hours: “Now you’re in my life / I can’t get you off my mind”.
In between these excitingly different sounding tracks, Styles has implemented a few more calming moments. It may take a handful of listens to be able to distinguish these heartfelt tracks from each other, as the album’s overall tone is more delicate than his previous two LPs. Tracks like ‘Little Freak’ and ‘Keep Driving’ fade into the background when placed up against the other sonically more experimental songs on the album.
The most heartbreaking moment on the album comes from the seventh track, ‘Matilda’. In an interview with Zane Lowe, Styles mentioned that ‘Matilda’ was inspired by the difficult experiences of someone he used to know: ‘It’s a weird one, because with something like this, it’s like, ‘I want to give you something, I want to support you in some way, but it’s not necessarily my place to make it about me because it’s not my experience.’ Sometimes it’s just about listening’. This song will provide comfort to millions that have struggled to leave their traumatic pasts behind them. The lyrics “Matilda, you talk of the pain like it’s all alright / But I know that you feel like a piece of you’s dead inside” feel like a punch to the gut. It is almost impossible to get through without shedding a single tear.
‘Cinema’ and ‘Daydreaming’ drag us out of our melancholy for some more retro fun. The sensual 70s sound and lyrics of ‘Cinema’ create a track that is addictive and impossible to not enjoy. Similarly, with ‘Daydreaming’, the powerful vocals are reminiscent of 70s and 80s R&B and funk. These tracks showcase Styles’ willingness to branch out into a variety of genres that will keep listeners on their toes.
‘Boyfriends’ and ‘Love Of My Life’ are a perfect way to close off the album. These are two of the more raw and honest tracks with their stripped-back instrumentals. ‘Boyfriends’ is a deep dive into male behaviours that Styles has witnessed through his own and others’ relationships around him: “Boyfriends, are they just pretending? / They don’t tell you where it’s heading / And you know the game’s never ending”. ‘Love Of My Life’ is a typically poignant love song about realising that the person you’ve just ended a relationship with was actually the love of your life. Just like the final track of his previous album ‘Fine Line’, this song ends with a calming instrumental album that rounds off the experience flawlessly.
Harry’s House feels like the most intimate look into the singer’s mind to date. The album is filled with tracks about change, healing, and love in a time when we need it most. Whilst being vastly different from his two previous works, this album feels the most representative of Harry Styles as a person and a musician. The overall mellow tone that the LP takes on highlights a more authentic side to the global superstar.
Words by Amy Britton
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