Review: Harry Styles’ Self-Titled Debut Album

Kierstin Flickinger

Staff Writer

Harry Styles’ self-titled debut album is better than almost anyone thought it would be. My boyfriend (an avid “I don’t like One Direction” guy) said “Each time I listen to the album, I realize a bit more just how good it is.” That’s saying something.

The album easily ranks among the best albums released in the first half of 2017 (number 4 on Rolling Stone’s top 50) for its soft rock sound and powerful vocals. So, here’s my breakdown of all 10 songs from the album Harry Styles.

Meet Me in the Hallway

This song is a solid starter for the album. Realistically, there’s no better song to show just what Harry Styles is all about. The song shows the raw vocals that Styles showcases throughout most of the album and has standout lyrics (‘cause once you go without it / nothing else will do). Plus, the way he sings the first ‘maybe’ of the song is my favorite bit of the entire album.

Sign of the Times

The first solo off of the album is the soft-rock ballad for the late 2010s. It’s five and a half minutes of raspy vocals, high notes, and a pretty piano playing in the background throughout the song. It’s one of the slower songs on the album, but it’s not a boring song by any means.

Carolina

I’d read various reviews calling this song the standout hit from the album, but I disagree. It’s a good song. It falls into good place for the third song of the album, as it’s one of the more upbeat songs, and it’s decent. For me, however, the song falls into just good. It may be because this song houses my personal least favorite lyrics (but she says I remind her of home / feeling oh so far from home), but this song is just good.

Two Ghosts

It seems that I’ve started out by saying how great this album is, and then proceeded to be difficult on the first three songs of the album, but at this point I’d like to say that I am a fan of all of the songs so far, but Two Ghosts is where I really start to get into the songs. Lyrically, this is my favorite song on the album. (I’m just trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat). This song resonates as someone who is searching for love and just can’t find it, which is where Styles seems to be at for the entire album.

Sweet Creature

The second single off of the album, Sweet Creature is my favorite song in general on the album. This is mostly due to the vocals by the former boy bander. It’s short, generally happier than the rest of the album (as it seems this might be the only song where he seems hopeful about whoever the romantic partner might be), and lyrically describes what it’s like to be in a decent relationship.

Only Angel

This is such a great song because the first minute is angelic and sweet, and then it comes in saying “this is Harry Styles, and this is what I’m about.” This is one of two songs where Styles sort of gets into some harder rock- something that I desperately hope Styles will explore on a sophomore album. His vocals are largely unedited and raw, which showcases that, yes, Harry Styles from One Direction is meant to be a rock singer.

Kiwi

Here it is: the most rock that we get to see Harry Styles on his debut album. This song is filled with fantastic lyrics (She worked her way through a cheap pack of cigarettes / hard liquor mixed with a bit of intellect, hard candy dripping on my til my feet are wet, it’s like I paid for it, when she’s alone she goes home to a cactus, and many more). This, like Only Angel, has a sound that I want to hear in future albums.

Ever Since New York

The last song really makes me sad, but this one gets to me also. While in general, the song is relatively forgetful (which is something on my end about my taste in music), the phrase (I’ve been praying / I never did before / Understand I’m / talking to the walls / I’ve been praying / ever since New York) is one of the best sets of lyrics on the album.

Woman

From the speech at the beginning (Should we just search romantic comedies on Netflix and see what we find?) through all of the shouts of woman and la la la in the song, this song is fantastic. The beat is my favorite on the whole album and the piano in it is something straight from 80s rock. But, it’s not up to par lyrically with the rest of the album, and falls lower in the ranks of all of the songs for this reason.

From the Dining Table

The ending song is undoubtedly the best one on the album. It’s the one that makes listeners feel something for Harry Styles. What is it, you may ask? Is it jealousy at his fame, how many girls he can get, or at all of the money he has? Nope. It makes you feel sad for him. Sad for Harry Styles. The opening lyrics are the most vulnerable he has on the entire track, and are sung with such embarrassment and humility that they’re easily the most powerful lyrics on the album (Woke up alone in this hotel room / played with myself, where were you? / Fell back to sleep, I got drunk by noon / I’ve never felt less cool). The album cycles back to the place in the beginning of the album where Harry had been searching for someone to stay with him, but alas, they had left him in the hallway back then, and nothing’s changed now.

The album started out with Harry feeling alone and sad, and cycles back to him feeling that way at the end. The ending is the most promising and emotional song on the album and shows that wherever this already famous boy bander goes, it can only be up from here. At least, I hope that’s where he goes, because I’ve never felt sadder for anyone.

4.5/5 Stars.