Harry Styles – Harry’s House

Review Score:

B-

The Unprecedented Times –

May 4 / 2023

Like it or not, you will be exposed to Harry Styles. Sometime after the release of his first album, radio hosts from around the US had a Paris Accord style summit and agreed that he would be the primary herald of pop music going into the future. And as per the doctrine, Harry Styles released “Watermelon Sugar”, and the rest is history.

I was always a passive fan of Harry Styles’ solo work. I heard the singles as pop radio did all they could to try and irritate me with them. I managed to maintain a broad lukewarm feeling towards him and his music. I would even say I liked a good portion of it. “Sign of the Times” and “From the Dining Table” were highlights off his self-titled debut. Fine Line is a bit inconsistent in style, but a good amount of its tracks are enjoyable. I came around to Harry Styles about the same time as Taylor Swift. I’m not sure why. I think it’s probably because I hit a stage in life where many of my friends were women. And white women love Harry Styles. White women love Harry to the same degree that gay women want Taylor Swift to reveal that she’s been closeted all this time. I was once in a car with a few of them (women, that is) and the song “Carolina” came on, in which Harry sings the repeated line “she feels so good.” We were in traffic. I was iin the backseat when the girl beside me leaned towards the front of the car and addressed the other two women. She said “can you imagine if Harry told you that you felt so good?” Everyone sort of quietly ignored it. Maybe everyone was simultaneously daydreaming about that scenario, or if maybe she felt she’d gone too far. The girl leaned back and went silent and then nobody spoke about it past that point. 

Anyway, it wasn’t until “Harry’s House” that I decided to sit and listen from start to finish. And I was hooked from the first track. In fact, each of the first five tracks are a blast to listen to. “Music For a Sushi Restaurant” is a great album opener. I’ve heard it called “retail music” as a criticism. I guess I can see where they think this comes from. There are a few bars in the song that I could see Apple pulling for the newest Macbook commercial. But I find that to be sort of missing the obvious point. The track is literally titled “Music For a Sushi Restaurant”. Do these naysayers think the artist wasn’t perhaps a little tongue-in-cheek when he made it? All that aside, the song is varied and layered with lush instrumentation. The energy is high and it perfectly sets the listener up for what’s to come. “Late Night Talking” has an infectious melody. Infectious melodies seem to be Styles’ main strength on Harry’s House. I really like the fuzzy tone on “Grapejuice”, which features a brief, reverb-ed, muted guitar riff at the end that may be my favorite moment/sound on the whole album.

The album is well produced throughout. The best songs on Harry’s House feature interesting sounds and engaging instrumentation. Unfortunately, the production can’t save every song. The lyrics aren’t particularly a standout anywhere on the album (save for a few outliers), but I found “Cinema” to be especially dull. Thankfully, “Cinema” is followed by a trio of Styles’ better songs. 

But is this album truly worthy of 2022’s Album of the Year Grammy? No. Not really. It’s a good album. But when you apply that tag to it, suddenly all of its mediocrities float to the surface. It’s good. But is it better than Renaissance? Than Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers? Does it matter? Analyzing the choices of whatever ancient committee chooses Grammy winners is an exercise in futility.

Regardless, this album truly takes you on a rollercoaster of highs and lows. To Harry Styles’ benefit, the lows are brief (and not even all that low, all things considered). This album is likely Harry’s best, even if the ending is somewhat weak. With a surplus of memorable pop tunes, Harry’s House is one worth visiting. But nobody would blame you if you split out before the party’s over.

Review Score:

B-