Harry Styles - Harry’s House
Pop – Released May 20, 2022 – 13 songs, 41 mins
LUNDI
Harry Styles did what? He invited everyone over to his house?? In this economy??? Damn. Might want to take your shoes off.
Harry’s House is a smooth jazz and funk pop compilation layered with brass and pop hooks held firmly up by Harry Styles strong vocal range darkened lyrics. From the album opening Music For a Sushi Restaurant it is clear that Harry is much more than a former boy band sensation. Harry never let’s go of the momentum from track one and blazes through excellent tunes Late Night Talking and Grapejuice before turning things over to viral hit As It Was. The piano turned synth loop is an absolute ear worm and the song will surely be played everywhere for the next year liken to the heights fellow pop star Billie Eilish reached with Bad Guy.
Despite this, Styles is actually at his best on the albums next three tracks. While slowing it down may be frowned upon in pop music and looked at as a momentum killer the toned down production on Daylight, Little Freak, and Matilda allows Harry to show his vulnerability and vocal prowess as he croons about past relationships and life hardships. The simplistic touches intrigue more with each listen and form the strong backbone of the album.
The funk returns however with Cinema (Daft Punk anyone?) and Daydreaming. Give me all that brass, give me something to dream about Harry. That trumpet just kicks ass. These two tracks are feel-good melodies and see Harry reach vocal pitches not previously flashed making for some real album stand out moments.
For all that good there is unfortunately some bad though. As with most pop albums Harry’s House is constructed much more for clicks and streaming numbers than to tell a story or develop a narrative. There’s no rhyme or reason to placement of the tracks other than putting the standouts to the front/middle for optimal listening. While the album flourishes in the early stages it fades in the end. There are glimmers of promise across the final four tracks but overall Daydreaming, Satellite, Boyfriends and Love of my Life are mostly forgettable, especially in comparison to the first 30 minutes. After an incredibly strong effort Harry fails to put a bow on the album and solidly the final touches. It’s not entirely his fault though, it’s more so a flaw in pop music. It’s just the way things are curated and the finish is not unexpected. It’s just simply hard to write 12+ songs that will grab the attention of the average listener for long. Pop music was, is, and always will be built for singles, not albums.
Harry’s House further distances Styles from boy band member to standing alone atop the mountain. He’s the biggest musician in the world right now and deservedly so. HH is a damn fine listen.
Overall Rating: 8.2/10
Favourite Song: Little Freak
ROZ
If you told me one year ago that I’d be sitting at my desk, doing a deep dive into the latest album from ex-One Direction boy band superstar Harry Styles, I would not believe you - yet here we are. Welcome to Harry’s House, please leave your shoes at the door.
Two words: Summertime pop. Bright production mixdowns are crafted to accentuate the high end sizzle on the hi hats and the low ends are rounded out to make those low-mid frequencies really pop on standard car radio speakers - the ideal frame of reference for easily digestible, feel-good music such as this. Funk, R&B and rock elements are intertwined by studio producers Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson; in fact, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that all songs but one were solely produced by Harpoon and Johnson alone. In this age of manufactured pop hits I always find it so refreshing to see an album with only a few contributors - it gives the record a sense of cohesion and consistency that simply gets lost when smashing too many ideas into one pot. As the saying goes, too many cooks in the kitchen fucks up your stew big time...or something like that.
Harry is of course a dream on the microphone, giving the additional shine to each and every track throughout the listen. Between the snappy drum transients and buttery low-end of Music For a Sushi Restaurant, the unique sound design within Late Night Talking, the arguably perfect summer jam in As It Was, the lo-fi vibes of Daylight and finally the feel-good fuzz of Satellite, there’s a little bit of everything for everyone. Did I mention John Mayer’s on the strings for Cinema and Daydreaming? Talk about dense. Now, that’s not to say that there aren’t concerning attributes. The stereotypical “ex boy band member singing to young teenage girls” moments do pop up more than once or twice, not to say that it’s something he was seeking to avoid on this album specifically, but it is something I’m hoping he’ll shake off as he grows. Regardless, it’s a step in the right direction for Harry’s evolution and he’ll shed that skin yet. Honestly, I think one-year-ago-me would have been pleasantly surprised.
Overall Rating: 8.2/10
Favourite Song: As It Was
REID
After a long and heavy review #67, TSR takes a load off this week to stop by Harry’s House for a spot of tea. Mr. Styles has done what may have seemed impossible years ago in continuing an upward trajectory. He began as Mr. X-factor only to be a part of one of the biggest boy bands of all time in One Direction. Once they split, Harry branched out on his own and is hogging top ten lists, smashing vinyl purchase numbers and headlining Coachella. The man is a superstar. Not sure if it’s possible for the trend to continue but I won’t put it past him. Let’s dig into his third studio album.
Harry teams up with Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson again on Harry’s House, going with the ‘if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it’ mantra. Although I’m largely unfamiliar with Harry’s previous work, this team clearly has the pop music equation to the decimal point in efficiency. At thirteen songs, the album clocks in at 43-minutes with what’s primarily a fun, carefree and upbeat listen minced nicely with a few slower, more thoughtful tracks like Matilda, Boyfriends and Love of My Life.
I don’t want to take anything away from the collective team effort here but man, you could send Harry out on the street with nothing and it’d sound good. While the music on Harry’s House is far from groundbreaking, it’s cleverly orchestrated to accentuate the main attraction; his voice. With that said, his live performances feature a full band including Harry himself on multiple instruments. He isn’t a one trick pony. His level of talent demands respect. The funky and groovy vibes offered in Music for a Sushi Restaurant, Late Night Talking, As It Was and Satellite were highlights.
Lyrically, Harry can swoon with the best of them. Whether he’s sliding in DMs, longing for the past or obsessing over his current fling with Olivia Wilde, he’ll wrap you around his finger. And he does it in a way we can all relate – with food. He picks up where he left off with his smash hit Watermelon Sugar, singing about eggs, sushi, grapefruit, ice cream and wine. Is it over-the-top corny at times? Absolutely. But it’s effective for his audience.
Speaking of audience, an element of surprise was Harry singing about drugs. On one hand, I’m a big believer in the creative freedom to speak your mind and write about whatever the hell you want. But usually artists take the Disney route in that they’ll dance around sex and drug topics without actually saying it like The Weeknd on Can’t Feel My Face or Ariana Grande on Side to Side. Harry sings about taking pills and doing cocaine very openly throughout the album. His reach is huge and I think of a younger demographic making up the majority. I’m curious how the fans of pop music feel about this? Is this common and I’m just late to the party?
Harry’s House is loose and fun but thoughtful. Styles met the sky high expectations of him and his star will continue to rise.
Overall Rating: 7.5/10
Favourite Song: As It Was