I had been waiting for months to hear the soundtrack that held the name for the melody that I kept hearing in Harryâs tour trailer. You know, the one that goes âDo do do do, duh, do do do doâ.
And there she was, first song off the album that I listened to on midnight of December 13: Golden.
Ladies (and gentlemen), a review of Fine Line by yours truly.
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I remember watching Harryâs interview with Zane Lowe and taking note of the part when he said that âGoldenâ was meant to be enjoyed by the beach, or taking a drive near the coast at sunset. Honestly, I couldnât agree more. For an album released at the dawn of winter, in my eyes, itâs literally the poster child for a psychedelic Californian summer. If you liked âMalibuâ by Miley Cyrus and are looking for another song to bring you the same vibes that it did, this is your song.
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âWatermelon Sugarâ gave off the same care-free, festival vibe as âGoldenâ. Without going too much into the actual meaning of the song, and in the interest of keeping it PG, the strumming of an acoustic guitar paired with Harryâs airy vocals was the perfect solution to my seasonal depression. I clung onto that song as if it were the last remnant of summer that Iâd have until the dreary days of winter have passed.
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As for âLights Up,â it was the first single that Harry released off this album, and there is lots of speculation about it being Harryâs âcoming out songâ. Heâs hasn’t really responded to these claims, instead, countering the questions about his sexuality with a simple âWho cares?â. Whether or not itâs an affirmation about anything regarding his sexual orientation, I think we should just enjoy the piece of his life heâs sharing with us, and wait for time to tell us what the lyrics actually mean.
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âAdore Youâ was, arguably, the cutest music video in all of music video history. I shouldâve put a warning at the top of the article that Iâd be a bit of a biased reviewer. Oh well.
It was just such a feel-good song, with an equally joyful visual accompaniment. Itâs definitely up there in the same realm as âGolden.â Iâm glad Harry decided to use a theme for the music video that spoke to his mantra of âTreat Everyone With Kindness:â it ties the album together and it puts out a much-needed message in a world that could really use the goodness in Harryâs heart and his brain.
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âCherryâ is a delicate song that will get you all in your feels. Chances are if you liked âSweet Creatureâ from his first and self-titled album, youâll love this one. Harry is very open about his personal life with us in this song because he includes snippets of actual voicemails from his ex-girlfriend, speaking in French, at the very end of this song. The meaning is pretty straightforward: heâs hurt that theyâre not together, and the fact that sheâs doing the same things she used to do with him with someone else isnât really helping with his heartbreak.
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In âFalling,â Harry opts for an approach that really allows us to hear the extents of his vocal range. Using just his voice and a piano, we really get to understand the internal struggle that heâs going through about seeing himself beginning to turn into something heâs not proud of. I think the picture below accurately describes me when I listen to this song.
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âTo Be So Lonely,â âSunflower, Vol. 6,â and âCanyon Moon;â Iâm positive these are the ones he wrote when or after he had taken the âshrooms he was talking about in his interview with Rolling Stone. If thereâs anything you should take away from these songs, itâs that Harry said he just wanted to have fun making this album. Heâd rather not make something if he wasnât going to have fun doing it. I think in the spunk and unique style of the songs in this part of the album, itâs very apparent that Harry was testing waters and really having a grand old time with his songwriting process. I personally am a huge fan of the way he brought in the acoustics to amp up the tone of these tracks. If you liked âParadiseâ by Coldplay, my advice would be to give âSunflower, Vol. 6â a listen.
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âSheâ brings in all the angst and the sass. Sing it, Harry, sing it. If you liked âDangerous Womanâ by Ariana Grande, youâll probably like this number. Itâs got the same badass energy as âKiwi,â with a jazzy, mellow twist. Absolutely genius.
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âTreat People With Kindnessâ and âFine Lineâ are title songs for Styles. âTreat People,â as he so lovingly calls the song, is a step away from the other, mostly solo songs, as he introduces a chorus of singers for this. It really speaks for itself in that itâs an attempt to promote the fact that he just wants to see everyone respect each other the way that he respects them. âFine Lineâ wraps up the album with gentle, but strong vocals, that narrate the feelings of what itâs like to be toeing the boundary between love and heartbreak.
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Overall, Iâm really proud of Harry and the direction heâs taking his music in. I grew up listening to and fangirling over One Direction, but now that Iâve seen how much his music has matured, itâs difficult for me to say that I could step away from the bandâs songs and say they hit me the same way âSign of The Timesâ did.
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I can usually pick out several songs from albums that didnât resonate for me, but I genuinely think that each one off this album was well done, beautifully constructed, and unique in its own way. His vocal ranges have improved greatly, especially in live performances, and his style has evolved tremendously; Iâm sensing an 80s idiosyncratic rock with a little inspo from artists like Bowie and Fleetwood Mac. All in all, itâs a solid album, and I definitely think it deserves a listen.
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Now if youâll excuse me, Iâm going back to playing âGoldenâ on repeat for another five hundred times.
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