Usually, the word “home” is associated with a physical place in the world you come back to for comfort and reflection. But to my surprise, I found it as more of an internal feeling while listening to Harry Styles’s new release Harry’s House. This album takes a tour of a day in the life of being in Styles’s mind and all the unexpected side conversations.
Like many, Styles’s writing process for this album came as an unexpected result of the pandemic after canceling his world tour for his last album, Fine Line. Face-to-face with a blank schedule, Styles now felt free to produce in the comforts of his room compared to a packed studio. This experience allowed Styles to prioritize his experiences and write an album that shows his true music abilities.
Setting the tone for the album, “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” opens as a refreshing starter for the summer. This song feels like a conversation during dinner that gets interrupted as your hunger continues to grow with the tempo of the beat. Hearing the music play through feels like a trick to the ear when looking at the lyrics and contemplating how fried rice and green tea don’t sound out of place.
In a 180 shift, “Matilda” takes incoherent thoughts and turns them into comforting words that seem like a hug. One of my favorite songs on the album, it feels like a realization that you do not have to bear the weight of all of your struggles alone. It removes the normalization of brushing off mental issues as no big deal and not feeling sorry for choices that better yourself.
In the running for another one of my top picks is “Late Night Talking.” As the name suggests, the song follows a restless mindset after meeting an unexpected love interest. The repeating “I just wanna make you happier” lyric shows the feeling of wanting to be there for a crush no matter the issue. Having this as a constant lyric feels like a reassuring message to listeners to pursue what makes them happy.
Overall, this album is a side of Styles that allows for a musical interpretation to whoever listens and is quite different from his usual style.
I would recommend giving this release a listen.