“We’ll find a house and a garden somewhere / along a country road,” Jonny Mitchell Singed in “Harry’s House/Centerpiece” in 1975. “A cabin on the outskirts / a place to really find release. The Laurel Canyon icon’s experimental song, which mixes jazz and folk, may refer to a piece of real estate, but Harry Styles — the title of his third album was taken from Mitchell’s track — home is a symbolic place.
former one direction star’soutskirts cottageNot found on any map, but in his head. His new album, Harry’s House, is an exploration of his definition of home, when the pandemic forced his typically busy lifestyle to an abrupt end , he began to think about it. The record believes that the feeling may come from a state of mind and the people around you, rather than finding release in a lovely country home.
“I’ve never liked change/but I’ll follow you anywhere,” Styles sang sparkling, swaggering pop songs on the ’80s hit “Late Night Talking,” which competed with the single “As It Was” for the brightest bop on the record. To prove his point, he offered A fascinating suggestion, and a decidedly unattractive one:”If it’s Hollywood or Bishop’s Gate/I’ll come too. “
Wherever he digs — Los Angeles, London, and somewhere in between — “Harry’s House” is filled with homely comforts. he sips”A bottle of rouge“Sing “Grape Juice” in the Garden, it sounds like the Beatles Played through auditory effects similar to vintage filters (and the latest continuation of the Harry Styles Fruit Universe after “Watermelon Candy,” “Cherry” and “Kiwi”). On the beautiful, ballad “Matilda,” he greets warmly and reassuringly: “You have time, make tea and toastwhile the sweet single list for “Keep Driving” shows that “Maple syrup, coffee, pancakes for two/ hash browns, egg yolks – I will always love you“.
Stiles described the record as his “biggest, funniest, but most intimate yet”. He balances those tales of domesticity and romance with songs that hit straight to old-school funk, disco, and soul, but never strays into the realm of parody, homage, or cheap retro knockoffs. The album’s opening track, “Music For A Sushi Restaurant,” pulls in from the star’s vocals and quickly blends into the tight basslines, and it’s not long before the peacock trumpet melody feels both gorgeous and festive.
‘Daylight’ offers the soul of tailoring and R&B, restrained when its creators lose their way, like “If I were a blue bird I’d fly to you / You were a spoon / Dip you in honey so I could stick to you”. But when he stopped singing, the rhythm part kicked in, with roaring drums and big, bouncy bass filling the speakers. ‘Cinema’ takes things to a nighttime disco cruise, with Styles traversing sideways through shiny but murky layers, singing of insecurities and desires (“I just think you’re cool/I love your cinema/Do you think I’m cool too? / Or do I like you too much?”).
Meanwhile, “satellites” venture into outer space. Sci-fi beeps drift over electronic drones and gentle “Oh oh ohsings that make you feel like you’re floating in the galaxy with the singer as he narrates: “Rotating waiting for you to pull me in / I can see you there alone / Don’t you know I’m here?Musically, it’s one of the funniest songs Styles has written to date, spinning into a galactic storm in its final throes.
“Harry’s House” is undoubtedly Styles’ best record to date, and it presents a musician who is comfortable and confident in the music he now wants to make. This gives the album a warm feel and makes the songs on the album feel conversational and intimate, as if you were sitting around your house chasing the stars. Mostly, this produces excellent results, such as strumming the guitar, a relationship check for “boyfriend,” but occasionally throws in some lyrics that make you cringe all over. “Somehow you become a little paranoid/wet dreams, just hanging in the air,“He muses about the star-studded people in ‘Little Freaks,’ and ‘Cinema’ has lines like this:”You pop up when we get close. “
Some Brewer– Moments aside, the musician’s third album feels like something magical — a record you want to live in until you know every nook and cranny of its details. For Styles, home may be a state of mind, but with Harry’s House, he made a film that feels like “cabin“Mitchell once sang; a you”can really find a releaserelax and deal with the minutiae of your day.
detail
release date: May 20
Label: Erskine Records/Columbia Records
