A little under a month after the release date of his new single, “Lights Up,” Harry Styles announced his second solo album. Fine Line is set to hit the ears of listeners on Dec. 13.
The exciting news was presented to fans through Instagram with a picture of Styles wearing his signature style of high waisted sailor buttoned pants and a chest exposing pink flowy blouse. The picture, captured by a fisheye lens, is presumed by many fans to be the album art. The caption reads “FINE LINE. THE ALBUM. DEC 13”. All of which mixes up to be a surefire way to set off a chorus of screaming fangirls in the comments section, myself included.
Courtesy: DIY Mag
The picture itself is eye-catching, and not just because of Styles’ rockstar pose. The man behind the camera, Tim Walker, British fashion photographer, is well-known for his “surreal and dream-like shots.” According to Vogue, Styles was spotted with him a few weeks ago, touring Walker’s “largest solo exhibit to date at the Victoria & Albert Museum.”
A few fans couldn’t help but notice that the album release date just so happens to land on Taylor Swift’s 30th birthday. The ex-couple dated for just two months in 2013 until a picture of Swift riding away from Harry on a boat on vacation let the public know that the pair had cut things off. Some fans are hoping it could mean a potential collaboration between the two singers, while others think some tracks on the album must be about Taylor, even though they haven’t been together since 2013. Whatever the case may be, it’s VERY coincidental and a little suspicious.
Courtesy: @Ts7Track3 Twitter
The newly released single has a different sound than his first-ever solo album after the break up of One Direction. Self-titled Harry Styles, the new album allowed Styles to fully break away from the boy-band expectancies fans associated with his name. Long gone were the “up all night” sentiments of silly parties and flirty pop music. Even iTunes urges listeners to “shed any preconceptions” before listening to the album and likens his new sound to David Bowie, Elton John, and the Rolling Stones. That album had the sound and soul of a 70’s rock album, allowing the music taste of dads and daughters to finally coexist.
“Lights Up,” released Oct. 11, is described by Variety as a “shimmering pop ballad… that vaguely recalls songs from Justin Timberlake’s early solo albums,” far separated from his previous album. Accompanied by a sexy music video of a sweaty and shirtless Styles surrounded by a crowd of scarcely clothed people, cool night drives on the back of a motorcycle and dreamy shots of him at the beach, it sets a completely different tone than his debut solo album.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Styles disclosed that during the recording of this album, he would take psychedelic mushrooms mixed with chocolate and listen to Paul McCartney’s ‘RAM’. During one trip on the drug, he got so high that he bit off the tip of his tongue. “We were doing mushrooms and I bit off the tip of my tongue. So, I was trying to sing with all this blood gushing out of my mouth.” He also disclosed that the new album will be “ all about having sex and feeling sad.”
It’s clear to say that fans will be counting down the days until his anxiously awaited second album will be flowing through their headphones. If you’re about to grab your phone and count to the 13th, don’t worry I’ve already done it for you: Only 39 days left! (as of Nov. 5)
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