Same As it Was?: Student’s react to Harry Styles’s new album, Harry’s House

On May 20th, 2022, Harry Styles released his third solo album, following the releases of his debut album “Harry Styles” and second album “Fine Line.” While Harry already had a large fanbase from being a member of the popular boy band  “One Direction,” his popularity has continued to grow over the past few years. Styles gained even more traction after his new single, “As It Was,” was released as a preview of his upcoming album, “Harry’s House.” Because the song was such a hit, everyone’s hopes had been high for the release of the album. Some people’s expectations were not met, while others claimed it to be as good as they hoped.

The album is a mixture of genres, including pop-funk, pop rock, synth-pop, and R&B. Some songs are upbeat and happy, like “Music for a Sushi Restaurant,” while others are slower and more heartfelt, like Matilda. So whatever mood you’re in, there is a song to listen to.

“As It Was” climbed all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is still sitting at the top for the fourth consecutive week; but” As It Was” isn’t the only song from “Harry’s House” that made it to the top 10 list. “Late Night Talking” reached No. 4, followed closely by “Music For A Sushi Restaurant” and “Matilda,” peaking at No. 8 and No. 9. While Harry’s other songs haven’t quite reached top 10, every song has made it into the top 30!

Harry’s worst ranking song from the album, coming in at No. 30, is “Boyfriends,” and many students seem to see why.

“I think everyone can agree on this one. “Boyfriends” is the worst song. 100% the worst song. I don’t know anyone who likes that song,” freshman Melanie Ritter says, and she’s not the only one who thinks this; junior Heather Stipe claims that while she doesn’t necessarily dislike the song, it’s probably her least listened to song on the album. Freshman Norah Cheung agrees that “Boyfriends” is her least favorite song on the album, followed closely by “Cinema” and “Music For a Sushi Restaurant.”

While those might not be found on many of her playlists, Cheung, however, has some of the other songs on replay. “I really like ‘Late Night Talking,’ ‘Little Freak,’ ‘Matilda,’ ‘Daylight,’ and ‘Satellite’ she continued. Some of Ritter’s favorites align with the ones Cheung likes, including “Matilda,” “Satellite,” “Daydreaming,” “Late Night Talking,” and “Little Freak.”

As for Stipe, she has been a longtime Harry fan and has especially developed a love for his music over the past 2 years. When she found out about the release of his new album, she was very excited, and to her, the album didn’t disappoint. As someone who likes all of his music, she’s not sure if it’s her favorite album or not, though. “This album seems different from his previous two, so it’s hard to compare them when they’re so different and were released at different times. It’s fun to follow his growth as an artist and see all of his success” Stipe states. Although she’s conflicted over choosing a favorite, she enjoys listening to Satellite or Love of My Life, because of their “melodies and lyrics, I just think they’re upbeat and feel-good songs.”

Overall, Ritter, Cheung, and Stipe all state that they have heard more positive remarks about the album, rather than negative, and all agree that there are songs on the album that will be added to their playlists, whether it’s sprinkled in, or taking up a majority of their playlist.

nc/ew/jy

The opinions stated in this article do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of the Wingspan staff as a whole.