Ever since the release of his self-titled debut solo album in 2017, fans have been long awaiting new music from Harry Styles; luckily for us, he finally delivered.
Excitement for his new album, Fine Line began in mid-September when the album’s first single, “Lights Up” dropped; the song’s R&B undertones, along with the sultry music video accompanying it, set the tone for a standout album defined by more mature and personal subject matter. In interviews leading up to the album, he made it clear that this album was meant to express ideas and emotions he felt were too taboo for previous works; lyrics about sex, heartbreak, and sadness were all fair game in his new tracks.
The following two singles, “Watermelon Sugar” and “Adore You” proved the diversity of the new album, both characterized by a much more upbeat, pop sound than the first single. Anticipation for the album only grew as Harry’s management team launched a marketing campaign for the third single, “Adore You”, by circulating advertisements for a non-existent island called Eroda (‘Adore’ backwards), that later acted as the setting for his unique and heartwarming music video for the single. With all this build up, it’s no surprise that fans were waiting promptly at midnight on December 13th for the arrival of the full album.
The album proves Harry’s incredible stylistic diversity; each track is its own unique work of art, while still acting as an important and related part of the whole, cohesive album. The album travels across a multitude of styles, moods, and emotions, each one personal to Harry yet still relatable to listeners of all kinds. Songs like “Golden”, “Cherry” (which even features a voice recording of Harry’s ex-girlfriend, Camille Rowe), and “To Be So Lonely” are some of the more mellow songs on the track that, upon first listen, have a lighter feel but contain lyrics discussing feelings of loneliness, desperation, and jealousy. “Falling”, the album’s main ballad, tugs at the heartstrings and beautifully expresses the difficulty in moving on from a lost love.
On the other hand, some of the songs sound like what I can best describe as the warmest hug you’ve ever received; “Sunflower” describes the beginning stages of a new relationship, while “Canyon Moon” is full of nostalgia and reminiscing about good times. “Treat People With Kindness”, a song named after one of Harry’s famous slogans, is unlike any song he has produced in the past, featuring a fun and upbeat dance beat that will undoubtedly put you in a good mood.
Different still is the track “She”, with a much more rock influenced sound. The album is rounded out by “Fine Line”, a piece that seems to mix both the emotions of adoration and devotion expressed in the album with the simultaneous feelings of contempt that can come from heartbreak.
While the album offers us a much closer look into Harry’s personal life than we’ve ever seen before, it does not at all detract from the universality of the album. Love, desire, heartbreak, and loss are things we all have or will experience, and the album does a wonderful job of expressing each of these in a way that the listener can relate to their own life. Whether you’ve been a diehard stan since the days of One Direction or you’ve never been interested in Harry’s work, I truly believe that “Fine Line” is worth a listen; melodic and meaningful, the album has something meaningful for listeners of all kinds.
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