You know, just today I read that Baz Lurhman passed on Harry Styles to play Elvis in his upcoming biopic because “he’s already an icon.” As obsessed as I still am with One Direction, there’s really no denying this claim. Harry Styles is a bonafide sensation and everything he touches turns to gold. Good thing he doesn’t seem to be slowing down!
I know COVID time doesn’t pass like normal, but it felt like absolutely no time at all has passed between his December 2019 release, Fine Lines, and his latest, Harry’s House. But indeed, we are more than halfway through 2022 and that’s more than enough time to release new music. Especially if it’s as personal as the tracks off this new record seem. That’s a lot of time to self-reflect. I think it’s also interesting because no real tour happened between these two records. Regardless, I actually gave his latest record a fair shake (and a full listen).
It will always be hard for me to separate Styles from his One Direction days, mainly because he was one of the most featured members of the band. So it comes as no surprise to me that a handful of songs off this record sound like they could belong in 1D’s catalog. For instance, listen to “Matilda” and “Keep Driving” and tell me you can’t think of the band making a music video for these songs. Both are really enjoyable, and the former is incredibly sentimental to people who have grown up in broken homes, much like Styles himself. If you’re a fan of One Direction, I recommend giving those two tracks a spin.
Most of the rest of the album idled somewhere in the middle for me. I didn’t love or hate them, but could see myself growing to like them more if I gave this record a few more chances all the way through. “Boyfriends” is a song that I’ve seen hyped up in a lot of reviews, but it was just alright to me. Sure, I dig the message, but it wasn’t anything earth-shattering. Same goes for the album’s closing track, “Love of My Life.” It was a pretty mediocre song to close the album out with, although I did really enjoy the lyric, “you don’t know where you’ll land when you fly.” Both “Music for Sushi Restaurant” and “Grapejuice” were both quirky, unique, and just overall fun to listen to. I couldn’t remember a single lyric if you asked me, but I had a good time listening to them.
“Daylight” and “Little Freak” were my least favorite two tracks and were honestly a struggle to finish. To make up for it though, tracks like the lead single, “As It Was” and “Cinema” were so, so good. The latter was super groovy, and it also surprised me when I realized it was a song about sex…in a movie theater? Unclear. Anyways, I still liked it a lot. “Satellite” is a song that took a hot second to grow on me. It had a rather unimpressive start to it, but as the song progressed it just got better and better. And it had a stellar chorus – super catchy!
Overall, this was a solid listen, and I’m sure it will snag him plenty of awards next year. Go Harry!