Two things about English rock stars never change: They love

Southern California, and they love cars. A few days after Harry

ride a Tesla cruising the Pacific Coast Highway while Harry

surprising number of couples along the beach who seem to be

arguing. We speculate on which ones are breaking up and which

Harry is feeling the smooth Seventies yacht-rock grooves

today, blasting Gerry Rafferty, Pablo Cruise, Hall and Oates.

Harry raves about a quintessential SoCal trip he just tried: a

-intensive
wheatgrass shot. It goes down like a dose of battery acid.

We’re on our way to Shangri-La studios in Malibu, founded by the Band back in the 1970s, now owned
by Rick Rubin. It’s where Harry made some of the upcoming album, and as we walk in, he grins at the
memory. “Ah, yes,” he says. “Did a lot of mushrooms in here.”

Psychedelics have started to play a key role in his creative process. “We’d do mushrooms, lie down on
the grass, and listen to Paul McCartney’s Ram in the sunshine,” he says. “We’d just turn the speakers
into the yard.” The chocolate edibles were kept in the studio fridge, right next to the blender. “You’d
hear the blender going, and think, ‘So we’re all having frozen margaritas at 10 a.m. this morning.’” He
points to a corner: “This is where I was standing when we were doing mushrooms and I bit off the tip of
my tongue. So I was trying to sing with all this blood gushing out of my mouth. So many fond memories,
this place.”

It’s not mere rock-star debauchery — it’s emblematic of his new state of mind. You get the feeling this is
why he enjoys studios so much. After so many years making One Direction albums while touring, always
on the run, he finally gets to take his time and embrace the insanity of it all. “We were here for six
weeks in Malibu, without going into the city,” he says. “People would bring their dogs and kids. We’d
take a break to play cornhole tournaments. Family values!” But it’s also the place where he has proudly
bled for his art. “Mushrooms and Blood. Now there’s an album title.”