Lauren Greenslet
Harry Styles has been pushing boundaries since his debut as a solo artist with his self titled album, released in 2017. He gained his fame from his time in the infinitely iconic boyband, One Direction, and took that leverage as he catapulted himself into a world of glamorous fashion, more sold-out arenas, and intricate artistry that involves digging deeper into who he is and where he comes from as an individual. His first album was a reflection of his influences, such as Elton John, David Bowie, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, etc. Fast forward to now and we have an ever-growing and evolving musician that continues to surprise us with who he really is. Fine Line still reflects his origins of the music he grew up with but also keeps a modern tone, too. He goes above and beyond with the openness and vulnerable aspects of the record. Styles said in an interview that he thought he was being more free with his music when he wrote his first record but he soon realized how wrong he was when he became the most open he’s probably ever been in his music career on Fine Line. The journey of bringing this album into existence and to its fullest potential exhibited Styles’ growth and matureness of his music career.
As the foundation for the rest of the album, “Golden” sets the tone with sunshine and sadness. It uses the respective language for describing not only the shininess and unwavering vibrant silhouette of a close lover but the fear of losing them; it tells of how much Styles is attached to said person and the anxiety that comes with that. It has the sound of a summer smash hit but keeps the lyrics clear and succinct. In the chorus, Harry avows “I’m out of my head, and I know that you’re scared/Because heart’s get broken.” He keeps the vibey summer feel throughout the rest of the album, sometimes directly talking of the season, while still staying true to his lyrical roots. Using this track as the prelude for the other songs was a powerplay in terms of preparing the listener to be stoked to hear what’s next.
Track two of the record comes to the Malibu dance jam “Watermelon Sugar.” Following typical Harry tradition, he successfully adds this tune to his ever-growing collection of songs with a fruit in the name. He released this single without any warning before performing it live on Saturday Nigth Live, giving fans little to no time to prepare. The song incorporates not only your stereotypical band instruments, such as bass, guitar, drums, etc. but a carefully and rhythmically timed horn section that fits in like a missing puzzle piece. This jam is far from his old boyband summer hits that were written in One Direction. Styles evidently has grown out of that mold and creates a steamy, fruity rock and roll bop. He gives his listeners the summer jam they’ve been craving for so long from him.
“Adore You,” the “walk to the beat” song, is the self-proclaimed hopeless romantic track. Harry holds the pattern of repetition for the bridge and creates lyrics that define the longingness for a lover even if the feelings aren’t reciprocated. He creates the “rainbow paradise” he sings about. It reminds of something that might be taken off “The Get Down” soundtrack from a disco scene. With this song, Styles confirms he can create a syncopated sound for a single release perfectly.
“Lights Up” was the first single released for this record. From an outer perspective, the song can be just another pop release. But, after taking a closer look specifically at the lyrics, it’s clear to see a majority of the lines are just stand-alone statements or questionings of one’s self. Styles writes in the chorus, “Do you know who you are?” A question of deep self-reflection. He accompanies a light beginning strum in the intro moving into a good bass. It feels dreamlike, with the understory of what seems to be a byproduct of a person who’s been put into positions he may not have known what to do in before. Positions where the person has had to learn to grow into their true self with all these “lights” on them. He sings this, “Lights up and they know who you are,” indicating the presumptions about this person in the spotlight the public might already have. The song, all around, has a deeper, soulful story and meaning than being just another pop song release. Possibly one of a reflecting personal experience.
In this track, “Cherry,” Harry utilizes his creative freedom by using old voice memos he took of a close friend that just so happened to be in the key of the song. Using a light-sounding guitar picking rhythm for the song’s playful undertone, Styles uses the perspective in which he writes as a jealous ex-lover where he states in the chorus, “Don’t you call him ‘baby’/We’re not talking lately/Don’t you call him what you used to call me.” He tells of the level of intimacy the couple had by construing the ways there are pieces of them in him. Styles admits to being hateful towards how good his old other half is doing without him and keeps the awkwardness of confronting them with the song at a low enough level that it’s there but barely noticeable. It’s a “want you back” track and keeps the promise of him stating in his Rolling Stone cover issue to Rob Sheffield that the album is all about “sex and being sad.”
“Falling” comes and hits you out of nowhere. It’s the heartbreaking, self-inquiry that defines the sadness of the album Harry spoke of. The beauty of it is that it can be about anything: a lover, a friend, someone you used to be, etc. He asks, “What if I’m someone I don’t want around?” and “What if I’m someone you won’t talk about?” The falling, in this case, comes from a mental standpoint. He’s mentally falling because of this person and just how much they mean to him and the brokenness between them; he doesn’t know if he wants to fix it or if it can even be fixed at all. Styles brings you back to the person you need most by creating lyrics that drag tears out of your eyes. It’s the neediness and exposedness that this song presents that’ll tug on your heartstrings the most.
“To Be So Lonely” is probably one of the most brutally honest of al. It seems that Styles was able to portray the amount of truth the typical classic rock star, like Bruce Springsteen among others, wanted to say and actually did just that. He’s straightforward about the things he needs to work on emotionally and the space he’s trying to make between him and his lover whilst they still want him. He sings, “Don’t call me ‘baby’ again, you got your reasons/I know that your tryna be friends, I know you mean it.” The music performed on this song executes perfectly what the ideal “downer without knowing it” track is; it’s groovy until you take a deeper look into it.
“She” is the guitar piece we’ve all been waiting for. Reminiscent of Styles’ track, “Woman,” “She” brings back a slow groove to his discography. Talking about a hypothetical woman, Harry’s guitarist, Mitch Rowland, matches the feel of the lyrics and brings it home with a sensual sound that extends the song to six minutes. This particular song gives off the disposition of a sophisticated modern Bowie sound; it’s flowy and gets the Harry Styles version of soul out there. All in all, this is one of the most culminating sounding songs on the record, instrumental wise. Thanks, Mitch.
“Sunflower, vol. 6” emerges as the sister sound of Golden. It creates this picture of being so in love with somebody, even if you’re seemingly moving too fast, it feels so right. Describing the person that embodies literal sunshine, Harry paints an image of being with someone and being with them feeling like absolute nirvana. He signifies this song with little noises he makes at the end that keep the goofy but complex aspect to it. It’s lightweight and brisk which cultivates a flowy feel to accentuate the vibey nature of the album as a whole.
Said to be Stevie Nicks’ favorite off the album, “Canyon Moon” is the homiest of the whole album. “Canyon Moon” is the song that came of the space Styles made in his genre for the reminiscent tunes. It has a bluesy, but also folk and classic rock taste that takes you back to a place you never were, but still had a good time. It’s all about a traveling musician hippy writing back to his lover, affirming to be home and getting back to his roots. He describes the different places he may have seen but he keeps going back to the thought of how he’s been “gone too long from you” and “I keep thinking back to the time under the canyon moon.” The song in its entirety seems it could be played at a Michael Franti house party, where it would go anything but underappreciated.
“Treat People With Kindness” is arguably one of the most stand-out tracks. It has this cheery mood with a message Styles feels the listeners should take on more: “Treat people with kindness.” Harry, ever since starting his solo career, has used this as his slogan as a way to encourage more understanding and empathy and all-around compassion towards other people. With this song, Styles has a choir sing the chorus and joins in during the verses along with the playful tone of the piano. It keeps a gospel aspect to it, a positive feeling, especially with the lyrics, “Giving second chances/I don't need all the answers/Feeling good in my skin/I just keep on dancin'.”
Whilst “Canyon Moon” tells the story of coming home, the album’s title track feels like it. With lyrics such as, “We’ll be all right,” Styles effortlessly returns the feeling of belonging to your heart. It recreates a sense of togetherness with just the right amount of an orchestrated emerging mix of an acoustic guitar at the start of the song. The whole song is an affirmation of solidifying yourself and the way in which Harry sings brings out a heavenly appearance of his voice. It wraps up the vulnerability of the album in six minutes and seventeen seconds, a new record length for Styles’ released music. He repeats the lyrics, “We’ll be a fine line,” as if he’s singing a mantra for grounding whoever is listening. Releasing an album with a strong, passionate start like “Golden” and ending it with a blissful finish like “Fine Line” is the beauty of Harry Styles and his everlasting way to make you feel at home.
Go buy the album. Trust me.