Album Review: Harry Styles - Harry's House

Harry Styles' new album is fantastic, a blend of various '70s sounds with modern elements. It is probably my favorite mainstream western pop album of the year so far. It is nostalgic, beautiful, and conceptual in its stylings. In a way, it feels like the sort of music The Beatles could have made if they debuted in the '70s. It sounds strange, but it works. It also is inspired by legendary musician Harry Hosono (even if it barely represents Hosono House, though I see some elements from Fuyu Goye), so what is not to love!

Music For a Sushi Restaurant

What a way to open the album! I love Music For a Sushi Restaurant, particularly the nostalgic vocal harmonies, including that doo-wop choir over the groovy instrumental. The bass is fun and elliptical in the best way possible. I love how some of the eery elements coincide across the pop and rock lines. The chorus bounds outwards in the best way possible, continuing the wild and organic feel of the bounding instrumental. What a way to open the album!

Rating: 9/10

Late Night Talking

Late Night Talking is certainly a little bit more mellow the bounding joy of Music For A Sushi Restaurant, which surprises me since Late Night Talking is a single. That said, Late Night Talking is a wonderfully chill song, and I love the chorus, especially how it sneaks up on you, simply building off the verses rather than exploding. It is a little early in the album, but I enjoy it nonetheless.

Rating: 8/10

Grapejuice

Old and fermented, it makes sense that Grapejuice is an ode to alcohol. I love how dense the production is here, with the pounding rock elements over the chiller keys. Styles' voice is a perfect ode over the instrumental. The little instrumental outro adds what was missing in Late Night Talking, even if the melody is not perfect.

Rating: 8.25/10

As It Was

I have seen some criticize As It Was, calling it generic. I am a little surprised by this, as As It Was near-perfectly works for the album while being an extremely fresh interpretation of trends. From the vague and interpretable lyrics to the genius productional elements, there is something nostalgic and emotionally confrontational about Harry's performance here.

Rating: 8.75/10

Daylight

The fragmented storytelling style of As It Was continues into Daylight. Unfortunately, Daylight's opening verse and chorus are supremely forgettable. The song kicks into high gear with the pummelling distortion at 1:04, which I would love to hear more through the song. It all leaves Daylight as one of the album's most fragmented tracks.

Rating: 7.25/10

Little Freak

I love the vocal layering here on Little Freak, it adds so much to the song that it is hard to explain. Little Freak is such a simple song; a continuation of the romantic and personal vignettes from a nostalgic perspective. I love the production here, a bass and an acoustic guitar do so much here. Little Freak is both radio-friendly, but so nostalgic and definitive to this album. I also love how the album ends.

Rating: 8.25/10

Matilda

Of all the songs in the album, Matilda is the most cohesive narrative in the album. It sees Harry comforting a woman called Matilda, and suggesting she does not need to invite her family whom she isn't close to. A moment of growing up, Matlida's acoustic production is fantastic. Of course, I love acoustic guitar (I love Neele Neele Ambar and Here Comes the Sun too much). While the climax doesn't work as well as expected, I love the chorus melody. It is a moment of growing up, and works so well.

Rating: 8.5/10

Cinema

Around this point in the album, the narratives clear from the overgrowth, showing an intimate and quiet portrait of Harry Styles. Cinema is such an excellent song, sounding like a midnight ride to the drive-through movies in the early '80s. I love the post-disco instrumental and the simple vocal layering. Everything here sounds so simple but has so much depth in its lushness that it works. The autotune in the coda is a little off-putting, but nearly everything else in this song is exactly what a mid-album song should do.

Rating: 8.75/10

Daydreaming

Some have suggested Daydreaming might be the next single, and I would love that, Daydreaming is one of my favorite songs on the album. A good reason for that is the surging bossa nova choirs through the song. The rest of the song is not as engaging, but those ad-libs over the choir is perfect. It all leads to a fantastic second half, with an exploding finale. Daydreaming is exactly what I wanted from an album like this.

Rating: 8.75/10

Keep Driving

Returning to the vignette collection of the first half of the album, Keep Driving is a song about keeping on going, no matter what life throws at you. I love how at 1:22 the song suddenly takes on a more sinister sound, with the vignettes getting significantly darker, before asking "Should we just keep driving?", returning to normal.

Rating: 7.75/10

Satellite

Satellite is a little generic in its production, but I love the nifty production and the climax that ties everything in, distorting the elements just enough too succeed. Harry provides a strong performance, but Satellite is not one of the album's top highlights.

Rating: 7.5/10

Boyfriends

Ladies and gentlemen, help me, I like a song called "Boyfriends" by a One Direction member. Younger me would be more confused than disappointed. That said, Boyfriends is a surprisingly strong acoustic ballad, a tale of destructive relationships, Boyfriends is surprisingly compelling, with its nostalgic and cathartic melody.

Rating: 8.5/10

Love Of My Life

Love Of My Life has a fantastic bassline, the best across the entire album. The song is quite incredible in this aspect of its production. I just wished the melody surged in an equivalent way. Nonetheless, Love Of My Life has some decent vocal harmonies.

Rating: 7.25/10

Cumulative Rating: 8.19/10

Overall Rating: 8.2/10

A nostalgic collection of tracks, Harry's House is fun and nostalgic in the best way possible. Hopefully, Harry continues down this conceptual style.

Image Source: Mind Food