New Music Friday - 5/20/2022

It’s Harry Styles Friday - Harry’s dropped his third solo release, Harry’s House and the former boybander’s chameleon-like way of putting out music is welcome to my ears and soul. I love every moment of it. Let’s get to it.

Album of the Week:

Harry’s House by Harry Styles

He’s done it again - Styles new album is a dance-pop masterpiece that intertwines folk and funky soul. After two albums of discovery and figuring things out (both were amazing), Styles seems to have settled in nicely with a very personal album. He’s no longer the new kid on the pop music block.

The opener, "Music For a Sushi Restaurant", a Prince-inspired number, is a funky little song with odd food/sex metaphors (“I could fry an egg on you”) and horns that perfectly sets the table for what’s to come throughout the album. “Late Night Talking” is a tender pop anthem with a lovestruck Styles crooning over and fun, funky synth sound.

Working again with long-time collaborators Kid Harpoon, Tyler Johnson, and Mitch Rowland, the team continues to evolve Harry’s sound from boy band to somewhere he’s still figuring out. We’re glad we’re along for the ride.

The lead single, “As It Was” took a while to grow on me, but I’m there now. There’s an 80s alternative synth-pop driving sound to the song. His voice is more like Thom Yorke of Radiohead than the Styles we’re used to.

Other standouts include “Little Freak” an introspective ballad with Styles singing about missteps with an ex. “Matilda” (which Styles admitted in an interview is a personalized version of the Roald Dahl character grown up) is a lush, acoustic number about finding a chosen family. The Simon & Garfunkel harmony-inspired “Boyfriends” gets a gentle accompaniment from Ben Harper on guitar.

Harry’s House is a sensitive, mature step to even bigger super-stardom. He’s broken down the walls of boy bands and continues to find his voice in a solo world. After a fantastic performance at Coachella (you really need to see him and Shania perform “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”) I can’t wait to see what else Styles has in mind.