Written by: Naqib
Edited by: Mehek
Visual by: Owen
Stylers and Directioners were delighted this month as Harry Styles, one of this generation’s leading pop icons, released his third studio album, Harry’s House. The new album dives deeper into the pop star’s life and gives a personal tour of his “house” through intimate, dreamy melodies and lyrics apparent on various songs. The album was also balanced with upbeat and cheerful songs, perfect for its release date nearing summertime.
Harry’s House came as a tone softer from his sophomore album, Fine Line, which featured upbeat and pop-rock filled chart-topping singles to the likes of “Watermelon Sugar” and “Adore You”. Fans were once again treated to an album release concert dubbed, “Harry’s House: One Night Only”, which was held in New York and London this time around in May, similar to Fine Line’s “One Night Only”, which only took place in Los Angeles in 2019. Styles performed all 13 new tracks chronologically from the newly released album and also his most popular singles from his previous works such as “Sign of the Times” and “What Makes You Beautiful” as well, one of his former boy band’s (One Direction) most popular songs.
The “As It Was” singer teamed up with American Express to give away five hundred free tickets to lucky fans for the New York album release concert and another one hundred tickets for the London concert held in the O2 Arena. Alongside the free tickets, pop-up stores appeared across North American and European cities to further promote the new album. Fans were delighted to purchase exclusive merchandise, available only within these stores such as city-specific album box sets, limited album zines, and exclusive Harry’s House orange vinyl records.
Besides the positive campaigning, the 40-minute album featured intricate lyrics, further immersing listeners into the pop icon’s life and presenting a more intimate and mature experience for listeners compared to his previous records. Songs such as “Late Night Talking”, “Music For A Sushi Restaurant”, and “Daylight”, feature a buoyant mood alongside upbeat tempos, making them a solid choice for listeners in preparation for summertime. However, the album was balanced with more emotional songs as well, with the likes of “Little Freak”, “Matilda”, and “Boyfriends”, which included folk style guitars and dreamy vocals appearing to the theme of love for a certain someone, which many of his fans and listeners can relate to across all music. These songs specifically, invited listeners further into the pop star’s “house” by further illustrating his life experiences compared to previous works which allowed the album to be his most intimate one to date.
The album is a brave work of art by a well established artist who has once again defied the meaning of being a modern day pop star. The daring use of folk, funk and pop-rock is refreshing compared to other works of pop nowadays. One junior, Elki, thought that the newly released album, “Is quite different from a lot of the other popular modern artists’ albums,” and felt that he “Would still be listening to it years later”. Harry’s House has proven that a pop album can have a variety of influences and different sounds which come together into a beautiful piece of art, merging different genres into one unique body of music. The carefully thought out lyrics and outstanding production of the record has let listeners praise the artist to his well deserved acclaim yet again on his third studio album.
Once again, one of this generation’s most beloved artists has released another body of work, inviting listeners further into his life, making the name, Harry’s House, a very fitting album title. His methods to positively promote the album across the world captured the hearts of fans yet again and continued to shine his name in golden light for fans to keep adoring him. Styles’s body of work continues to bring fans together around the world as the pop star resumed his worldwide “Love On Tour”, which recommenced in the European leg, on May 24 in London.