Singer-songwriter Harry Styles has come a long way since his audition for the X-Factor in 2010 at 16 years old. Despite auditioning alone, Styles was placed in a group that would eventually become One Direction. The band’s rise to fame was just as sudden as their indefinite hiatus, which was brought on  by the fact that each member had different visions for their future. After two years, Styles released his first solo album “Harry Styles,” which was a drastic style change from the music he put out with One Direction. 

Styles gained millions of fans with the release of his second album “Fine Line” on Dec. 13, 2019. The speed at which “Fine Line” rose up the charts was astronomical, making him the fourth most-listened-to artist on Spotify, with over 70 million monthly listeners. The album also earned him a Grammy award in 2021 for Best Pop Solo Performance.

On Mar. 28, Styles put out a post on social media announcing his new album “Harry’s House.” This post commenced a new era and got fans eager to listen to the new sounds Styles would soon put out following over two years of radio silence. After the announcement, he revealed the first single that would be released, “As It Was.” Released on April 1, the song gave fans a brief look at the style of the new album. The song became one of the first songs to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 by any musician in 2022. 

“As It Was” features upbeat drums and a synth that closely resembles A-Ha’s “Take on Me.” While the tone of the instrumentals seems optimistic, the lyrics have a sadder meaning. His live debut of “As It Was” took place during Coachella, where he also introduced two songs from the upcoming album: “Late Night Talking” and “Boyfriends.”  

With his third album, Styles gives us more intimate and loving songs, showing off a side of him that we’ve never seen. He also experiments a lot with different synths and horns. Styles kicks off his album with “Music For a Sushi Restaurant.” With many food references — fried rice, ice cream, coffee, and even blue bubblegum — Styles has many electronic hints in this song, as well multiple  “scuba-duba-dubub-boo’s,” giving the song more character.  

The mood of the album tilts more somber with “Little Freak,” which shocked many fans who, due to its misleading title, thought it would have a rock feel to it like “Kiwi” in Styles’ first album. The sadder tone of “Little Freak” was a smooth transition onto the saddest song of the album, “Matilda.” With melancholic lyrics, Styles sings a story about a girl with a troubled family history and someone who grows old enough to separate themselves from the people who never showed them love, echoing the story of the main character in the 1996 musical “Matilda.”

Styles doesn’t allow listeners to dry their tears these two tracks before immediately kicking the mood back up in the rest of his songs. “Daydreaming”  has a 70s feel to it with good reason; the track samples the 1978 song by Brothers Johnson’s “Ain’t We Funkin’ Now.” Styles shows that he isn’t afraid to use music from different generations to influence his own music. 

Throughout his career, Styles has experimented with different genres of music including pop rock, mainstream pop, psychedelic pop, R&B, and indie pop. His bold and extravagant style has brought him more recognition in the music industry. As he becomes more confident in himself, he proves that he is capable of growing into a figure similar to that of Freddie Mercury due to their similar outfits, confidence, and music style. In naming this album “Harry’s House,” Styles alludes that this album is the best reflection of himself so far, and that he is proudest of it. 

This is Harry’s house, and we’re just living in it.