Review Summary: We're all Little Freaks
I don’t believe that I am in the target demographic for Harry Style’s music. A couple years ago, I would have never even considered listening to any of his music at my own volition. But here I am today, ready to explain to everyone why and how much I love this new Harry Styles album. I’ll preface the actual review with some of my prior knowledge and opinions on his previous work starting with his tenure with One Direction. I was not a fan at any point and to this day I have not listened to any of their full records; I have only heard the hit radio singles that have been overplayed to death. I will say that their track “Story of My Life” is a bopping little track with nice vocal harmonies and I found Harry’s vocals to standout in that one in particular. Moving on to Harry’s other solo records, I have not indulged in his first outing, but I did get a chance to peruse through “Fine Line.” I found it to have some really nice, quaint pop tunes with stylistic flairs in funk, rock and soul. While it was pretty solid, it did feel pretty standard and lacked some cohesion and identity. Moving on to the good stuff…
“Harry’s House” is an absolute triumph in popular music utilizing elements of a multitude of genres similarly to what “Fine Line” attempted but done so much more cohesively and effectively. The songwriting is cleaner and more focused yet takes some creative risks, Harry’s vocals feel rejuvenated and more dynamic, and I think one of the factors that heightens the experience is how the record is so gorgeously and tastefully mixed and produced. Each track has an identity, a mood, a moral, and everything plays into the vignettes that Harry paints with precision and purpose.
The album opener “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” establishes the playful sort of lyricism that’ll feature in the majority of this record with lines like “Green eyes, fried rice, I could cook an egg on you,” and “Blue bubblegum twisted ‘round your tongue.” It’s simplistic but it’s effective in creating a bubbly, colorful space for the music to explode around. The pulsating rhythms are eventually matched with beautiful blaring horns, all the instrumentals are light and fluffy but still have potency and a distinct danceable quality. The opener is followed by a couple bonafide, ready-made radio hits with “Late Night Talking” and “Grapejuice” which are sugary sweet summer pop tunes with lots of colorful flavor and flamboyant punch. Filled with lightly picked guitar melodies with fun bouncy rhythms coupled with charming lyrics about love and its delights. The hit single “As It Was” follows suit with light synth melodies complemented by light indie rock drum patterns and enchanting vocal melodies. The lyrics are probably some of the weakest on the LP, but they do fit the patterns and rhythms nicely and offer up easy earworms for listeners. It’s very plain to see why this song is so popular and effective.
As we make our way into the middle of the track list, we get into some of my favorite cuts on the record starting with “Daylight,” a waltz-y, bluesy ballad with gorgeous instrumentals. With lyrical passages like, “If I was a bluebird, I would fly to you/You’d be the spoon/Dip you in honey so I could be sticking to you,” it’s easy to feel some kind of way towards dreamy Mr. Styles. It’s cheeky and simple but carries a nuanced flirty charm that’s addictive and easy to fall for. “Little Freak” starts with some deeper, darker vocals by Harry in an entrancing ballad about love lost through still-images of objects that floated about their lost relationship and defined little moments that stick in memories.
Finally, I get to talk about “Matilda.” This is by far my favorite track on here with beautifully plucked guitar notes and soft gentle vocals detailing a young woman’s estranged relationship with her family who treated her as lesser when growing up. The lyrics again aren’t extremely in-depth but certainly paint a vivid story of the elements that have led to where this young woman is today. The instrumentals coupled with all these elements leaves us tear-stricken and emotional as we journey to understand the power of our actions and words. The positivity that Harry portrays with the lines, “You can let it go/You can throw a party full of everyone you know/You can start a family who will always show you love,” ends the song less somberly than it began with ideals of hope and strength that penetrate through difficulty and struggle. It’s one of the most poignant songs I’ve heard this year and hopefully can help those who battle with similar circumstances and emotions.
Once you’ve wiped about the streams of tears, we can finally settle into some more bops. “Cinema” is a full-fledged driving soul pop track with fun dance beats and quirky lyrical cliches; “I just think you’re cool/I dig your cinema.” Not the cleverest writing but then again, I have to consider that I’m listening to a mainstream pop album and that in the grand scheme of bad writing that confounds the popular radio stations, this is actually decent and finds a way to be quaint in a good way. "Daydreaming” continues the pattern of upbeat, happy pop tunes with lyrics detailing love so wonderful that it must be a daydream. Again, nothing spectacular but it personally fills an itch that I don’t often get. The rush of gorgeously produced instrumentals and fun beats make some of these more straight-forward tracks very enjoyable, not to mention my now grand admiration for Harry’s vocal delivery.
As we reach the back-half of the album we get some more experimental cuts like “Keep Driving” where Harry finds himself and his lover ignoring the problems in the world and focusing on happy thoughts and things that bring joy into their lives. It’s short and sweet and feels like the perfect road trip anthem. “Satellite” starts off a bit slow but eventually builds into a grand display of drums, synths and reverb drenched vocals. “Boyfriends” is probably my least favorite cut on the album because it offers very little in terms of instrumental dynamics and the lyrics and vocals feel much plainer and more streamlined compared to the performances on other tracks. Finally, the record is topped off with “Love of My Life” which is a beautiful track apparently about Harry’s love for his home country of England. That was not my first impression when I heard the track, but I can sort of see the sentiment within a deeper look at the lyrics. What stands out the most about the song are a dense, dark instrumentals and synths that lace the entirety of the song. It’s hauntingly stunning and is a wonderful end to a really great, fun record.
While it’s not breaking new ground or reinventing pop music, it does succeed in achieving a lovely outlet of escapism for its listeners who can get lost in the gloss and frill of the lovey-dovey lyrics and groovy, bouncing beats. It’s truly a fun and engrossing listening experience and I’m glad I took a chance on it and found myself a little guilty pleasure in 2022.
