#MusicMay-hem: "Harry's House"

Don't be surprised if years from now, in the annals of music history, there is an entry about May 2022. The sheer number of mega-watt, eyebrow-raising music releases in this short period of time is unlike anything I have experienced in my (admittedly short) time as somewhat of a music junkie. On a single day, in fact, Friday the 13th, we witnessed the return of Kendrick Lamar, arguably the greatest rapper in the game today, indie darling Florence & The Machine with her first release since 2018, and The Black Keys, arguably one of the biggest and most important American rock bands in the last decade. If that wasn't enough, that smattering of new material came one week after the latest album from Arcade Fire, one of the biggest alternative-rock groups in the World, and one week before the new release from Harry Styles, one of the biggest pop stars in the World. It's a good thing Frank Ocean hasn't also decided to resurface this month-- yet!! --otherwise I think the Internet might actually fold in on itself.

If you were just polling mere numbers, I would put a fair amount of money on the most-anticipated May release of all being Harry's House, the third solo album from Harry Styles. The breathless excitement many held for this album was at levels that very few Pop artists in the World can match. It's not a stretch to say Styles is on pace to be one of the biggest stars on the planet, if he's not already there. Lead single "As It Was," whose chart-topping release accompanied the announcement of a forthcoming but preceded it by nearly two months, had already laid the groundwork for this album to be a smash success upon release, as did his headlining set at Coachella. For the masses, Harry likely could have merely farted into the microphone for an hour, and the end result still would have been met with cheers from adoring throngs.

My tone in discussing his popularity might still read as snarky, so know this: I counted myself among those very excited for this release, a sentence I would not have believed I was uttering just a couple years ago. Yes, despite my years of misplaced cynicism about all things One Direction, I have found that not even I am immune to Harry's irresistible charm. Quite the opposite in fact; if his widely enjoyable turn as SNL host in 2019, the omnipresence of the absurdly catchy "Watermelon Sugar" in 2020, and his smoking-hot Grammy performance of said song in 2021 had already melted away some of my cold front towards Styles, it was my first listen of his last album Fine Line that officially pushed me into full-on fandom, something that I did just this year!

Part of what I both thought was impressive and also somewhat of a drawback to Fine Line as an album was how many different musical and thematic styles were on display; I was curious to see if Harry's House would have the same frenetic energy, or if it would pick one of those genres and run with it. The answer, interestingly enough, is kind of both and neither.

Harry's versatility is still on full display in his House. There is no question he is just as comfortable with the acoustic ballad ("Boyfriends") as he is with the traditional peppy pop ("As It Was"), at home with both the 80s-era electric dance music ("Late Night Talking"), and the more contemporary Weeknd-influenced pop ("Satellite"). If not a master of each style, he is certainly more than a tourist, showing deft control of each type of song. This sort of variety and experimentation is laudable, but it does result in a lack of traditional 'bangers.' The few brave enough to speak out against this album online have made this very point, and it's fair; with the exception of "As It Was," there's no ready-made hit like "Watermelon Sugar" on this album, nor an "Adore You", nor a "Sign Of The Times."

But, in what has been a major theme with these high-profile May releases, what Harry's album might lack in the individual components, it more than makes up for as an entire body of work. This is a very cohesive album thematically, his best one yet. Every song is different from each other but dwells within the same universe; different rooms of the same house, if you will. And there is zero, and I mean ZERO, deadweight. "Music For A Sushi Restaurant" I think I probably enjoy only in the context of the album, setting the stage for a 1980s-influenced electropop ride, but other than that, I would happily re-listen to any song from the album at any time. "Matilda" is one of his most mature and heartbreaking tracks yet. "Late Night Talking" and "Daydreaming" are two songs that could play on the radio at any time and I wouldn't get tired of hearing. With "Grapejuice," "Daylight," and "Love Of My Life," Harry is perfecting his 'Paul McCartney solo career' sound.

All in all, it's hard for me to label Harry's House anything but a rousing success. Its sound has walked the very "fine line" (haHA!) of pleasing his fanbase while likely being able to draw in new fans and admirers. Will this album be one that stands the test of time? Maybe not. But is it more interesting, thoughtful and creative than the majority of Pop music today? Certainly.