MUSIC → MUSIC REVIEWS

HARRY’S HOUSE REVIEW: Harry Style’s

new album shows the world what pop
music should and can sound like
Harry Styles is ready to take you inside his house - he is ready to share the 13 songs that
represent him

By: Maia Levitt | Published on November 20, 2023

Harry Styles has come a very long way after being put into a boyband by Simon Cowell because
he did not believe Styles and the One Direction band members had what it takes to be successful
as solo artists. Former X-Factor judge, Louis Walsh, said “I don’t think you have enough
experience or confidence yet…” and continued to say that he should not go further on the show.
How ironic is it that now Harry Styles is one of the world’s most-known solo superstars? Styles
knows exactly what it takes to create an extremely successful pop album. You could listen to his
songs on repeat constantly, the lyrics are beautiful and meaningful, and the production of this
album is top-grade.
Harry Styles, 29-years old, releases his third album called, Harry’s House. Styles has made a
huge name for himself and has risen to extreme levels of success, popularity, and admiration.
Styles has come a long way from being a young innocent boy in a band to an actor, singer, and
someone who is vocal to the masses, and proud of what he believes in.

His debut album, Harry Styles, and Fine Line, his second album, were both remarkable albums
that showcased Styles' life and growth as a rising star. The creation of this album would not be
possible without singer/song writer Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson. His new album, Harry’s
House, is now out. It is truly a masterpiece, and a must listen-to album.

“A broken ankle, karma rules/You never saw my birthmark”, Styles sings in his song “Little
Freak”, a beautiful song about a relationship that slipped through his fingers. This relationship
ended before his partner could see his truest forms. His partner could not see his birthmark.

In Style’s main hit single, “As It Was” he references personal details about his life, while
obtaining an upbeat positive energy to the song. However, the deeper meaning behind it tells a
different story. “As It Was” can be interpreted as a relationship song, a song about his isolation
and loneliness from the world, and how his fame and life is not the same as it was. “Answer the
phone/Harry, you're no good alone/Why are you sittin' at home on the floor/What kind of pills
are you on?”

Figure 1: Harry Styles in his music video for "As It Was"

Styles sings, “Spinning out, waiting for ya to pull me in/I can see you're lonely down there/Don't
you know that I am right here?” Styles, Harpoon, along with song writer Tyler Johnson wrote a
song about feeling lost and aimlessly going in circles. Ironically the song has a very upbeat feel
to it, but the lyrics display feeling broken-hearted and lost.

The album opener, “Music For A Sushi Restaurant” is unlike any song Styles has ever written
before. It is fun, funky, unique, surprising, and full of energy. Immediately you are drawn in with
the upbeat feel of the song, and yet slightly confused by the first set of lyrics. Styles sings,
“Green eyes, fried rice/I could cook an egg on you”. What does this even mean? On the other
hand, later in the song Styles sings about loving someone in every way. That is what makes his
music so fun! Listeners are constantly on their toes to hear what comes next.
In Maura Johnstons review she explained, “Styles has put together an album that's so solid, even
moments that would be cringeworthy when handled by lesser pop stars feel earned.” Not only
does he write fun music, but Harry’s House is very emotionally heavy. Styles has written his
music in such a vulnerable way, and that is what it makes it so beautiful. Styles has broken the
mold of what one would expect from life after being in a boy band, maintaining his superstar
status "while creating his own space within pop's always changing landscape”.

Styles can be explained as a, “a prematurely wise elder, a personal cheerleader and a pro bono
therapist”. According to Lindsay Zoladz, Harry’s House is Styles' most distinctive-sounding
album to date, and it creates some stunning sonic landscapes thanks to the production work of
Tyler Johnson and Kid Harpoon. “There is something sky-like about the whole album, and its 41
minutes unfurl with an air of pleasantly stoned contentment, occasionally overcast by some
gentle melancholy that passes like a fleeting cloud”.

“Harry’s House is a light, fun, summery pop record, but there is a gaping void as its center; by
its end, the listener is inclined to feel more intimately acquainted with the objects of his
affections than the internal world of the titular character himself”.

This album is unlike any other. You could listen to it nonstop. Anyone who has the opportunity
to buy this album should! You can buy it in CD form or electronically! It is available on so many
platforms, so go out and buy Harry’s House!

Grade: A+

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 Works Cited

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Album ‘Harry’s House.’” EW.Com, Entertainment Weekly, 16 May 2022,

ew.com/music/music-reviews/harry-styles-harrys-house-review/.

Zoladz, Lindsay. “Harry Styles Is Still a Dreamy Cipher on His Third LP, ‘Harry’s

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www.nytimes.com/2022/05/20/arts/music/harry-styles-harrys-house-

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