Harry Styles.Photo: Lillie Eiger
Two-and-a-half years after he releasedFine Line,Harry Stylesreturned in April with an earworm single that jubilantly declared, “It’s not the same as it was.” Neither, it seems, is Styles himself, as he proves on his genre-defying third albumHarry’s House.
Gone is the floppy-haired teen who spoke humbly of working in a bakery onThe X Factor— even the pop balladeer who penned “Falling” appears to have been shown the door, in his place a musician of rock star-caliber unafraid to take risks.
The first two tracks onHarry’s House, “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” and “Late Night Talking,” are giddy, groovy fun, with ’70s-inspired horn sections that make you wonder if the 28-year-old Styles hasn’t been binge-watchingSaturday Night Fever. IfFine Linewas all about “having sex and feeling sad,” as Styles toldRolling Stone, then its successor is about having sex and feeling euphoricallyhappy.
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Harry’s Houseis sonically more ambitious than his first two records, blending horns, synths, organs and more — Styles toldBetter Homes & Gardensthat this go-round is the first time he doesn’t feel as though his “life is over if this album isn’t a commercial success.” He plays the glockenspiel on “Keep Driving,” which would feel at home on the soundtrack of a 2000s indie movie, pairs dark, heavy synths with a whimsical piano outro on closing track “Love of My Life,” and even gets an electric guitar assist fromJohn Mayeron “Cinema” and “Daydreaming.”
Harry Styles.Lillie Eiger
Styles can sell out arenas that seat 20,000 people in mere seconds — his popularity isn’t remotely in question. But withHarry’s House, he’s proving himself as more than just ashiny Coachella drawor an internet boyfriend. It’s proof that he’s an artist, and that while he’s developed a sound unique to him, surprises still lurk up his tattooed sleeve.
source: people.com
