Wow, this took a really long time to write. This album sits at spot number 5 on my most listened albums this year and I feel like it should be higher. Honestly, I feel like I listen to a song off of this album every day and it has become a part of the soundtrack to this chapter of my life, as cheesy as that sounds. This review is really long but I included almost everything I had to say about every song. Whether you agree with my score on each song or not, this review will hopefully bring a new appreciation for the album for whoever actually ends up reading this. I know that writing it definitely made me appreciate it more.
Meet Me In The Hallway- I don't really know what to think of this song. It is kind of everywhere lyrically and it doesn't really convey any sort of coherent thought or idea. Maybe if the idea was elaborated later on in the album with a return of some musical motif, this song would have felt more complete but the closest thing that could possibly connect to this song in a meaningful way would be the last track, From The Dining Room Table, where he deals with heartbreak and loneliness again. It does feel coherent when it comes down to the instrumental though, and it even has a little melody that is recalled in Sign Of The Times. See if you can hear it! (Hint: it's the first line in the chorus). Speaking of the instrumental, I believe that Mitch Rowland wrote the guitar piece here but don't quote me on that. It is really interesting and refreshing to hear a psychedelic pop song with actual instruments and that guitar is a work of art. 5/10
Sign Of The Times- I already wrote a lengthy review about this. It has grown on me a lot and it continues to be an amazing song that I listen to almost every day. Watch some live performances of this, it really shows you the passion that everyone puts into the song. 8/10
Carolina- Immediately what stands out for me in this song is the bass. Wow that is some damn good prominent bass! The synth thing that accompanies the bass is kind of cool and almost like, tickles your ears. It's a weird feeling, but I really like it. The acoustic guitar that very very subtly gets a bit of overdrive applied to it ends up giving the song the punch that it needed. Not that it really needs a lot of punch though. This song work very well with what it is given and the build up is really really satisfying. The backing vocals feel a little cheesy and awkward at times, but they sound amazing in the chorus as space fillers in what sounds like a complicated mix. As far as the lyrics go, I like the simplicity. Not every single song has to be super complicated and have multiple metaphors in it to work. This song is about a girl that Harry fell in love with and that is it in my mind. No amount of arguing or weird piece connecting is going to make me believe that this song is about cocaine, okay? 5.5/10
Two Ghosts- This is probably one of my favorite songs to play on the album. There's something haunting about the openness of the chords being played while also feeling restrictive somehow. The chord progression that was chosen is super simple and yet it accentuates the vocal delivery and helps push the tone of the song. Don't even get me started on the guitar work by Mitch on this song either. I love love love slow guitar solos like this. Some of my favorite guitar solos to play and listen to are in this style. Ones like Brutal Love , Wrapped Around Your Finger, The Little Things Give You Away, and last but oh so certainly not least, Wish You Were Here. If there was a "required listening" for this album, Wish You Were Here would be essential. Musically, it pays perfect tribute to Pink Floyd. Lyrically, it is its own thing, I think. I say I think because I feel like it's supposed to be a personal song for Harry but he doesn't quite get us there. It's specific enough for us to know that he is talking about a relationship he had- "The fridge light washes this room white
Moon dances over your good side" -which gives us a little taste of how private and intimate this song could really be, but mostly just vague lyrics- "we're not who we used to be" -which don't show off Harry's ability as a songwriter. 7/10
Sweet Creature- This is probably the song that sounds the most like a One Direction song and it is honestly probably why it is one of my least favorites on the album. It was an obvious choice as a second single to draw in the pop crowd and get even more radio play, but I do feel like it stands out in the greater scope of the album. The one thing that pops out at me immediately is the intricate finger-picking in the back. The two major instruments in this song are Harry's voice and that beautiful guitar in the back (Although that really subtle bass adds a cool layer too) and I think that the choice to keep the entire song as a finger-picked song makes it fit the "floaty" feel of the album, which was definitely needed to make sure that it didn't break the mood of the album too much. Speaking of not breaking the mood of the album, the lyrics of this song essentially hold the same feeling as the other songs and don't really break that mold, which I like and don't like at the same time. I love a cohesive album but it seems that the mold that Harry has is still too vague. This song does a better job at it since the lyrics don't feel like they're trying to achieve that specificity, though so it gets a pass on being vague. I do like the lyrics in this song. I think that they get the message across and maintain the same tone the entire time which is nice. Harry's vocals are good but again, it feels like this could be thrown onto a 1D album and it'd fit right in. Actually, now that I think about it, I can almost picture one of the other boys either having a verse in this or even gang vocals at parts. 6.5/10
Only Angel- This was the first non-single song I heard from the album. I remember it very clearly too. It was the morning of the album release and my alarm went off for school. My sister had already been up and she had listened to the entire album so as soon as I got up, she was right there asking me if I had heard the album yet. I hadn't because I had just woken up. Crazy, right? Anyway, this was the first song she played for me and it was probably the best first non-single I could've listened to. Not knowing what it was going to sound like, that intro pulled me in and I was expecting an instrumental. Those whispers reminded me of Pink Floyd in the song The Great Gig In The Sky where you can hear someone whisper "I never said I was frightened of dying" and I thought that it was really cool. It's still really cool but it definitely stood out that first time. In that intro, the little throwback to the sound of Sign of The Times is what made me extremely excited hear the rest of the album because I could already tell it was going to be cohesive. Right after the intro, Harry doesn't hesitate to throw you straight into the action and it doesn't stop until the end of the song. This guitar-heavy song is not what was expected out of this album and really just out of Harry at all. The guitar tone set up here just has that old-school glam rock feeling and compliments the tone of the bass really well. Which, goddamn this bassist is awesome! I don't hear love for this guy much so I'm just letting you know that he is underappreciated in this entire project. Percussion-wise, this song tones it down a bit and the drums themselves are drowned out in the mix. The stuff you can hear isn't anything special though. What isn't drowned out in the mix is that cowbell which I have mixed feelings about. It definitely pushes the song into the glam rock era, but was it really necessary to have it be so loud in the mix? As for the clapping on this one, I liked it. It adds another dimension to the percussion and they are mixed really well in to the track. When it comes down to vocals, this is one of the more aggressive songs on the album, vocally, for Harry. To hear him play around with the dynamics of his voice on this album is really entertaining. For someone who likes to hear artists get loud enough to sound raspy and even scream, this song was welcoming. As for lyrics, this song doesn't stand out in the album, which at this point isn't really a shocker honestly. They're fun to sing along to but there is no depth there at all. If you want to know more about the lyrics, go check out the Genius page for the song. 5.5/10
Kiwi- Let's talk about the freaking amazing guitar on this track first of all. The layering, tone, distortion, and technique that went into the guitar and bass parts is phenomenal. You can feel the energy and you can feel the amount of fun that they had writing and recording this. That packed guitar solo is literally only played on one fret (well, with a little walk up to reset the bend) and he just bends and hits that magic point of distortion and feedback. Usually bass following the root note of the power chord on the guitar makes the bass not-so-special, but not in this song. The bass you feel in this song is a prime example of bass being essential in a band. The bass you feel in this song is what you feel in live music. The bass you feel in this song is just.. magical. I don't know what it is about it, honestly. Probably the fact that it adds another layer to the simple yet punchy guitar? I don't know. All I know is that I love it and have bittersweet feelings for the end of this song because the end is the best bass part. Drums! It really seems like every instrument was following the rules and had a common goal at the beginning of the song. They all obeyed and sounded fantastic while doing it. It all goes well until the drummer decides to say fuck it at the beginning of the second chorus and goes crazy on the drums. That drum part sounds like so much fun and it adds an indescribable amount of energy and feeling to the song from that point forward. That's not to say that the drumming before that didn't do it, but the drummer demands your attention at the beginning of that second chorus and keeps it. Harry showcases a part of his vocal range that I want more of in this song. He is in complete control of his voice while making it seem like it's running away from him and it keeps pulling me back to the song. The lyrics get a pass here too. This was never supposed to be a serious song and catchy lyrics aren't a bad thing when you're going to be paying attention to the bombass instrumental for the most part. Again, if you really want to know more about the lyrics, you can check out the Genius page. 7.5/10
Ever Since New York- Debuting on Saturday Night Live after his performance of Sign Of The Times, this song actually turned the hype for this album down for me. First of all, the first thing you see is the 4 guitars on stage playing at once. It seemed overwhelming and unnecessary when I first listened to it because there were so many layers and you couldn't really unpack them and see how they fit. I really only listened to this song like 3 times between the SNL reveal and the album drop, which is drastically different than Sign Of The Times. On the album, not only was the song a little longer, it is more polished, which is expected. I definitely like the album version a lot more than the live version. There's something about this song that makes it feel like it is coming from a grandiose band that is trying (and succeeding) to make softer songs. I think it stems from the drums. This is a different, bigger sound than on the rest of the album. I can't put it into words because I'm not a big drum person, but that's just how they feel. They feel bigger. In fact, everything feels bigger. The fact that there are so many guitar layers doesn't bother me in the album version because they all have a special purpose that is fulfilled with the effects that are put on them. They range from a percussive aide to a lead guitar and they are used very well. While everything else feels bigger, Harry's voice does not. I feel like it should've been pushed just a tiny bit further towards the end. It failed to give me a resolution and it left me wanting more. As for lyrics, the verses left me satisfied and the chorus was disappointing. 5/10
Woman- Okay there are two kinds of people in this world. Those that like the duck noise in this song and those that don't. I am one of those that don't. What does it add to the song? If they wanted to add that "uh" moment, they could do it with the rest of the instruments instead of having to force it on us every other bar. It seriously distracts from the rest of the song and I don't like it all. It ruins the guitar solo! Which, ignoring the duck noise, the guitar work continues to be phenomenal. That solo is beautiful and every single effect thrown on a guitar in this song feels like it fits the moment perfectly. Same with the bass, I think. In this one, the bass isn't that big but you can still feel it and you would definitely feel its absence. The piano is really cool here too. It dances around with the guitar and pairs perfectly with the bass. When it comes down to Harry's vocals, they get the job done here but they don't feel like they're anything special y'know? It really also has a lot to do with the kind of song it is so I'm not going to ding it because it isn't supposed to be special vocally. Lyrically, it doesn't stand out when you're just listening straight through it because there is so much going on in the song. It is honestly the last thing you notice in this song but the lyrics really aren't that bad. The opening line is hilarious in my opinion and I love it. Other than that, the lyrics don't have much substance but that's okay because there is already so much going on in the song that it is actually a really good idea to keep the lyrics simple. 5/10
From The Dining Room Table- This is the most simple song on the album and it stands out because of it. While I would have hated an entire album like this, the fact that it is just one song makes it pop so much and it is honestly a really refreshing way to finish the album. It pretty much brings the album back around to the beginning both dynamically and tonally which I like. This song is entirely stripped down. The only instruments are Harry's voice, an acoustic guitar, a cello, viola, and a violin. While that doesn't seem like a song that's "entirely stripped down", you have to keep in mind two things. First, there are no effects on the acoustic guitar or on Harry's voice. It's just clever mixing and a little bit of layering that makes this song sound bigger than it actually is. Second, you have to remember that there are a ton of big songs on this album and compared to all of them, even Meet Me In The Hallway, this song is entirely stripped down. I mean, come on, they use an instrument called an omnichord on the album. So yeah, it's a stripped down, confessional song. Which, the lyrics are good but they feel forced and unnatural. It's honestly probably just that second line that makes me think that though. There was no reason for you to say you're getting off alone in your room. The rest of the song is good though, with lyrics like "even my phone misses your call, by the way." The guitar work is genius in the song again. It is super simple but the technique used makes it sound just a little bit more full than it actually is. By incorporating the lower bass notes (probably octaves but I haven't actually bothered to check), it follows the melody while also creating a harmony and a percussion part at the same time. Seriously, I love Mitch and he deserves all of the praise I am giving him for his work on the album. 6.5/10
A great first solo album for Harry that can probably mostly be attributed to the people that helped write the instrumentals. Sure Harry's vocals are amazing, but the instrumentals are what took this album to another level. If the lyrics had been better, this whole album would've probably been an entire point or two higher. But they fell flat and were ultimately the downfall of the album.
This slow piano ballad by one of the offshoots of the demise of One Direction is what I would consider the best case scenario from the new projects. While Zayn is trying to be "sexy" and naughty with his "Pillow Talk" and Niall is quietly promoting a solo song, Harry Styles is maturing and experimenting. The offshoot projects from the other former members of One Direction still sound like boyband songs, even if they include some swear words and bad attempts at being "sexy" (Zayn). This single from Styles feels like the natural progression for him and his sound.
The strongest aspect of this song is the instrumental. The song starts out with a simple piano with simple chords being played out and it is the perfect setting to debut Harry's vocals and the tone of the song. The reverb and echo on the vocals gives the entire song a spacey vibe which is reminiscent of Pink Floyd songs, a band I am in love with. The falsetto in the pre-chorus felt weird and unexpected the first time I listened to it, but got better and better the more I listened to it. It provides a good contrast between the more laid back verse vocals and the punchy desperation of the chorus vocals. It keeps the song from getting too monotone and boring. At the beginning of the chorus there is this beautiful build up and explosion of instruments that immediately bumped this song up a few points for me. The mixing truly shines in this chorus. Every single instrument is felt without feeling too overwhelming. That's an amazing feat since each instrument seems to be doing its own thing. The lead guitar cuts through and has emotions. It truly weeps and spills an emotion that vocals can only attempt to reach. The crunchy rhythm guitar matches the desperate tone of the song and compliments the piano from the verses almost perfectly. The drums are simple but powerful. Imagine you are on a beach on a 95+ degree day. The crash cymbals feel like waves of cool water on your body. They almost relieve the tension that builds from the other instruments but they're refreshing either way. As the song progresses through the second verse, we see the bass shine through and it is like a beautiful background dancer in this "show." The choir vocals that come in during the bridge fill the space so beautifully. The climax of this song is what really does it for me though. There is so much tension being built up throughout the song that I was actually ready to be disappointed by the climax. Well, I definitely was not disappointed. There are two feelings that I never thought I would feel at the same time being presented here. There is relief and there is desperation. This dichotomy plays out perfectly in these moments and every single instrument shines here. It is truly an amazing musical climax.
Here is where the song falls short. Harry Harry Harry Harry - WHAT is making you feel this way? I can feel your emotion but you have to TELL me what made you feel this intense emotion. Throw more words my way and tell me more! I understand the appeal behind vague lyrics but these are too vague and there is too much unnecessary repetition. This is honestly what kept it from being a higher than an 8.
"We don't talk enough
We should open up"