“Harry’s House,” the album. Filled with horns, keys, and captivating vocals, this record is laced with nostalgia and Harry Styles voice makes “Harry’s House” feel like a warm blanket or maybe more like a warm home. From start to finish, “Harry’s House” is truly a work of art. 

Scuba-duba-do-boo-boo! Harry Styles starts off with a strong lead to his album. Track 1,  “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” kicks off the album full of jazz, excitement and adrenaline. Listening to the song, you are immersed in its beats and layers. Parts of the song jump from one ear to the other, background vocals make you sit up in your seat and with a magical mix of instruments you can’t help but feel your heartbeat just a little faster and your spirits be lifted. Along with the transfixing sounds, you are met with racy food metaphors that are hints into Styles’ love life. All this mixed together gives you an intimate adrenaline filled experience listening to the song which just sets the tone for the rest of the album. It doesn’t stop at Track 1. 

Next stop is “Late Night Talking” which rightfully earned its spot at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, right behind Styles’ other song “As it Was” (which we’ll get into later). “Late Night Talking” was the first song written for the album. You start off with a jump scare of direct hits from the beat, and then drums help it flow into song. The lyrics proceed to transport you into a dream, staring off into the horizon while knowingly feeding you secret cherished thoughts. I mean it’s in the name itself, “Late Night Talking.” This song is many people’s favorites, and it never fails to put you in a good mood and make you want to move your body. 

“Grapejuice”. Another song names after fruit, matches the pattern. As “WaterMelon Sugar” from his first album was revealed to be about the pleasures of life and love, this song follows suit. “Grapejuice” starts with Styles deeply whispering “one, two, three.” Leading off with these murmurs and continuing it in the background you notice Styles voice is different in this song. It’s more intimidating with some raspier undertones, yet it’s also sweet and comforting. It still has this transfixing vibe to it, and the lyrics add into this. The chorus of the song talks about a “bottle of rouge; just me and you” seemingly adding to the idea of the song being more intimate along with the other fruit songs. Another specific lyric towards the end of the song caught my attention. “I’m so over whites and pinks.” Some may say this is a continuation of his references to wine, but looking deeper into it I believe this is a reference to his last album: “Fine Line”, the album released before “Harrys House”; it’s colors were white and pink. These lyrics towards the end of the song could be referring to him growing out of the album and growing more as a solo artist, becoming more authentic to himself. 

“As it was” is the first taste we got of the new album since it was released about a month and a half before the rest of the album. The lead single of the album quickly became very popular and reached #1 on the charts. It has maintained staying #1 for 11 weeks, rebounding after falling to #2. “As it was” also became very popular on Tik Tok with thousands of different videos using the sound.  The song starts off with Styles’ niece leaving him a sweet voicemail then the beat jumps in. The background music, beat, and instrumental pieces are upbeat and happy, and this seems to mask the sadness behind the lyrics. At 1:09 the lyrics switch gears to kind of a sad fog, giving us a glimpse into Harrys darker times. Yet, this is still arguably masked by the beat of the music. “Harry, you’re no good alone; Why are you sittin’ at home on the floor?; What kind of pills are you on? Ringin’ the bell; And nobody’s comin’ to help.” Clearly these lyrics aren’t exactly upbeat and happy. Harry has revealed that the song is really about his struggles through Covid and how other people may have felt the same way. He knows it won’t be the same as it was before the pandemic, riots, etc. 

Track 5, one of my personal favorites. “Daylight” is a translucent uplifting song that always succeeds in putting you in a good mood. The song starts off with a futuristic sounding keyboard, then the beat flows into styles song. The lyrics talk about how he may feel when his partner isn’t around him. “Get the picture, cut out my middle; You ain’t got time for me right now.” They paint this picture of Styles wishing for this love or person, and them not being able to return the favor. He talks about how they don’t have time for him and his devotion. This I’m sure many people could relate to, myself included. Even though the reality of this song may be sad, Styles is able to put it in a happy upbeat way where it helps you start feeling better too. 

This next song wasn’t exactly what fans were expecting. “Little Freak” was expected to be like Harry’s unreleased song “Complicated Freak”, an upbeat, racy, intimate song. Instead we got a mellow, nostalgic, downhearted feel to the song. The beat starts strong in the beginning, a slowed heartbeat that then falls into what sounds like water drops. Styles’ voice comes in and your vibe is automatically shifted; you feel this heaviness in your chest from just the difference in his tone. In a specific part of the song at 2:19,  “You never saw my birthmark”. His voice seems to become especially vulnerable. The background music gets quiet and his voice gets loud and true. You hear the rawness and vulnerability. It doesn’t stop here either; you’re already on edge with this song but moving into the next you’re guaranteed to feel more. 

“Matilda” is a song I can hope people don’t relate to, but sadly a lot of people do. In the song, Harry is singing about a girl who has become so hurt that it’s become normal to her. But he is trying to help her feel better. “Matilda, you talk of the pain like it’s all alright; But I know that you feel like a piece of you’s dead inside.” This song brings a certain sense of comfort to some. It’s like he understands what you’re going through and he’s here to comfort you and help you realize it’s all going to be okay. Some people have people to make you feel this way, others have pets, therapists, books, movies. Some of us have songs. Styles said in an interview with Zane Lowe this is kind of what he was wanting to give to the audience. Styles opens up and says “I want to give you something, I want to support you in some way, but it’s not necessarily my place to make it about me because it’s not my experience.’ Sometimes it’s just about listening. I hope that’s what I did here. If nothing else, it just says, ‘I was listening to you.’” He opens his invisible house doors and invites us in. He gives us a theoretical place to stay throughout the hard times, and a place to escape to. “You can let it go; You can throw a party full of everyone you know; And not invite your family, ’cause they never showed you love; You don’t have to be sorry for leaving and growing up.” He lets us know, that everything is going to be okay. 

Wipe your tears away cause the next song is anything but sad. “Cinema” is a chill, funky-pop song said to be about a person whom Harry is infatuated with. Cinema is unmistakably a very intimate song with intentions of affinity. “You all the time; In doses at night; No roof on the drive; Dust off the high; And go to sleep” This part of the song shows Harry talking about kind of a euphoric feeling with the person he is with. The end of the song does start to get repetitive, with three verses saying close to the same thing. This may have not been Styles’ best move, but it’s kind of a free part of the song. It is like the part of the song you would start break dancing to if you were going to dance. 

The next song “Daydreaming” speaks for itself. The beat, instruments, and lyrics all transport you into a daydream. The song evokes top-down, driving-on-the-coast vibes. But as you look further into the lyrics, you notice the deeper meaning may be more sad than you think. Behind the melodic horns and catchy rhymes and rhythms, a deeper, almost melancholy meaning sits behind the song. “You know I’ll be gone for so long; So give me all of your love, give me something to dream about.” This snippet from the song shows how he is leaving, so he needs something to remember his lover by, something he can dream about at night in memory of them.

Track 10 of the album is one of my favorites. “Keep driving” has the vibe of a late night car song that you can shout out with friends. While the lyrics seem sporadic and unorganized, looking into it more it seems to be about finding stability and love in a relationship even as the world surrounding them is pure chaos. The song itself shows the chaos. With seemingly random lyrics, “Kiss her and don’t tell; Wine glass, puff pass, tea with cyborgs; Riot America, science and edibles; Life hacks going viral in the bathroom” ,these lyrics are practically the definition of chaos. You seem lost and confused in his words. He refers to the chaos of our own world though. “Riot America” is relatable to our own lives chaos. The main chorus of the song represents styles and his person essentially shrugging it off. “Hey, you; Should we just keep driving?” His tone is calm in comparison to before when he talked about chaos. His voice mellows out with the chorus. This song overall in a way just says it’s going to be ok, and you can’t control everything. 

“Satellite,” defined in mid 16th century as “the sense of ‘follower, obsequious underling.’” Harry successfully represents this definition in this song. He’s going in circles for another person, and can’t stop. “I go ’round and ’round; Satellite; Spinning out, waiting for ya to pull me in” This verse represents how Harry is just continuously going in circles for another person, waiting. They’re waiting for them to open up to him and let him in their lives. The song itself starts off at a slow pace, then Harry jumps in with some muffled background vocals. Then gently he eases into the first verse, and sings gently. But once it gets to the chorus it switches to a happier, more exciting beat and the song ends the same way. Sadly, that beat quickly changes going into the next song. 

Track 12, “Boyfriends,” is  a song not many people seem to fancy. It starts off sounding like it’s being played in reverse with sounds transporting you as if you were being pulled back through time and memories. Then the guitar takes over and Styles’ lyrics and vocals come into play. This song has a melancholy melody and the vocals follow suit. “Boyfriends; They think you’re so easy; They take you for granted; They don’t know they’re just misunderstanding you.” The song’s lyrics clearly show that the song itself is about someone having a misunderstanding and possibly abusive significant other. 

The last song ends the album off strong. “Love Of My Life” is many people’s favorites. Harry had mixed feelings about the song at first. He shared in an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, “‘Love of My Life’ was the most terrifying song because it’s so bare. It’s so sparse. It’s also very much in the spirit of what ‘Harry’s House’ is about: I wanted to make an acoustic EP, all in my house, and make it really intimate.” Harry succeeds in expressing the spirit of Harry’s House, with all the pieces of the song showing the intimacy of his house. All in all though Harry is talking about a past lover in this song. “Baby, you were the love of my life; Maybe you don’t know it’s lost till you find it.” He talks about losing someone, and continuously missing them. He ends the song with a sense of unknown closure. “Don’t know where you’ll land when you fly; But baby, you were the love of my life” and the piano fades out leaving the mystery of what his next album will be like. 

The album overall possesses great power to make anyone feel a broad range of emotions. Some songs evoke top-down, driving-on-the-coast vibes, others make you want to crawl into a hole and cry, but mostly the songs are ones you would scream in the car with the top down. “Harry’s House” is a captivating album, and there’s a song for whatever you’re feeling. The title of the album and songs may seem to suggest open-door intimacy vibes, but instead pairs more vivid sonic landscapes with more vulnerable stories told. Overall, Harry’s house is the album of the summer. With songs taking over the charts, the album breaking streaming records, it’s not just me who enjoyed the album. So if you haven’t already, go listen and see how you feel.