Harry Styles - Fine Line [Review]

Harry Styles follows up his self-titled debut album (which I reviewed here) with his sophomore effort titled Fine Line, and it is yet another album that impresses me a great deal. He once again proves that he is no one-trick-pony, as Fine Line maintains some of the same bluesy rock style from the first album while also switching it up with some more radio-friendly pop (which is still vastly different from his work with One Direction) as well as some vintage sounds taking us back to the days of The Beatles and Queen. Fine Line opens with "Golden," which is a fine opening to the album but not necessarily a highlight on the album for me. Like Harry Styles, Fine Line definitely has a story to tell, and it begins here on "Golden," an adjective that aptly describes how the blossoming of a new relationship tends to feel. Like the Gilded Age, however, when things seem golden, it's usually because they are taking that shine from somewhere else. The Gilded Age was a period of rapid economic growth, but it came at the expense of most of the wealth being concentrated in one area which resulted in widespread poverty. Why this history lesson in a music review? Well, like I said, the song is speaking of the early stages of a relationship when everything seems golden: "...I can feel it take hold... I can feel you take control... of who I am and all I've ever known. Lovin' you's the antidote, golden." That does tend to be how falling entirely in love with someone can feel, like you are wholly surrendering yourself to that person. It can be a beautiful feeling, but it can also be scary because that makes you vulnerable to being hurt: "...I know that you're scared because hearts get broken." Statistically speaking, most relationships end, so when you feel yourself falling for someone, it can be exciting but also terrifying. The song has a light and dreamy air to it which I think is appropriate because it helps emphasize the feeling that you have at the beginning of a relationship - that you're in a really good dream. Like Dr. Seuss said, "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."

"Watermelon Sugar" (released as the second single from the album) continues reveling in the honeymoon phase of a blossoming relationship, this time not being afraid to comment on the physical aspects of the relationship. Many artists over the years have compared flowers and fruit to sex (see MARINA's "Froot" or Troye Sivan's "Bloom" as a couple of examples), and this song is yet another example of that. The song - an upbeat and jazzy pop-rock number with Styles' signature airy and slightly disconnected velvety vocals - reflects on a romance blossoming in the summer and how it was an exciting and magical feeling: "Tastes like strawberries on a summer evenin'," he opens, "and it sounds just like a song. I want more berries and that summer feelin'. It's so wonderful and warm." As I said, food - especially fruit - is frequently likened to sex in music and poetry, and I don't think that it is any mystery as to what Styles means when he says that he wants more berries because they feel wonderful and warm. As discussed here, it is generally believed that the song is about Styles' ex Camille Rowe due to her favorite novel being Richard Brautigan's In Watermelon Sugar. The two started dating in July of 2017 which, of course, is summer. "Adore You" is the album's third single and biggest hit (turn pop radio on for an hour, and I guarantee you that you're likely to hear it). This is probably the album's most mainstream song and the closest that Styles gets to his One Direction days. It continues the album's narrative of a developing relationship, still in its early stages and still in the summer: "You're wonder under summer sky." The catchy pop song outlines the feeling of utter surrender and devotion that one tends to feel in a relationship (especially a new one): "I'd walk through fire for you," he asserts in the song's chorus. "Just let me adore you." The song once again refers to fruit - such as strawberry and lemon - which, of course, are often regarded as summer fruits. I tend to think of "Watermelon Sugar" and "Adore You" as sister songs for this reason (and also because they are probably the most mainstream pop numbers that the album has to offer).

Fine Line then offers up the album's lead single - "Lights Up." I absolutely love the melody that Styles opens up with - a beautiful and caressing string of notes that sounds apologetic and somewhat regretful. The album possibly temporarily interrupts the relationship narrative here (or does it?), as it doesn't seem to be directly addressing a lover. As discussed here, it has been frequently speculated that this song - which is a mellow and summery pop number - is Styles addressing the rumors that he is bisexual (or pansexual or polysexual). This rumor - which Styles has never directly confirmed to be true - blasted off when Styles performed his song "Medicine" - an unreleased outtake from the first album - which features the following lyrics: "Here to take my medicine... treat you like a gentleman... the boys and the girls are in. I mess around with him, and I'm okay with it." "Lights Up" was also released on National Coming Out Day last year, and some of the lyrics of the song definitely seem to support the theory: "All the lights couldn't put out the dark runnin' through my heart. Lights up, and they know who you are, know who you are. Do you know who you are?" I love these lines because they not only potentially refer to the light that comes with embracing yourself and accepting yourself for who you are but also potentially refer to the more sinister meaning of lights - the spotlight in which fame keeps you imprisoned. Even if you aren't ready for the world to see you for who you are, those lights sometimes make it impossible for you to hide. Either way, however, Styles has frequently shown his support for the LGBTQ community such as the times when he sported a rainbow flag and/or bisexual flag on stage. That outward support is one of the many reasons why I have come to appreciate him as much as I do over the last several years. As I said, though, perhaps, even if the song is about Styles' sexuality, that doesn't necessarily mean that it interrupts the album's narrative. What if Styles embracing his true self is part of the reason why his relationship started to fall apart? (Please note, however, that this is pure speculation on my part, and I really have nothing to support it.)

"Cherry" brings us back to the style of the first album. An acoustic and folksy song glittered with harmonica, "Cherry" undoubtedly returns us to the album's overall narrative because the speaker is addressing his lover out of jealousy because they are now dating someone new: "Don't you call him 'baby'," he opens. "...Don't you call him what you used to call me." He also complains that "we're not talking lately," continuing the theme of silence from the first album. According to Genius, the soft "Coucou" heard at the very beginning of the song as well as the French outro is the aforementioned Camille Rowe's voice, so I think that that confirms that the song is about her. This is why I believe that if "Lights Up" is Styles addressing his sexuality, then his sexuality could be part of the reason why his relationship with this particular woman fell apart. Otherwise, there is no song documenting the reasons for the split, since it seems to have already happened here, with the subject of the song having moved on with someone else, sparking, as I said, the speaker's jealousy. I can't speak to why the song is titled "Cherry" because Styles never once mentions the fruit in the song, but that is also true of "Kiwi" from the first album. "Falling" is a heartbreaking piano ballad that serves as the album's fourth single and one of my favorite songs from the album. Fine Line definitely outlines a grieving process (which reminds me a great deal of Björk's phenomenal album Vulnicura (which I reviewed here). He is angry and jealous on "Cherry," but here on "Falling," he is forlorn and heartbroken. He states that he is "falling again" - the first time because he fell in love with her and now because he is falling into despair. "Forget what I said," he pleads near the beginning of the song. "It's not what I meant." We have probably all been there - that stage at which we have said things out of anger that we later regret. One of the most heartbreaking aspects of the song is the speaker's apparent fear that he will be forgotten entirely: "What if I'm someone you won't talk about?" It's such a beautiful and sad song with a stunningly beautiful music video to match.

"To Be So Lonely" is another highlight for me. It's interesting because lyrically, it is kind of morose, and it is a softer song compared to tracks like "Watermelon Sugar" and "Adore You," but even though it is a soft acoustic song, it has somewhat of a playful energy to it. It sounds somewhat carefree, such as when the guitar (which I believe is either a ukulele or a mandolin - I am shamefully unsure) reverberates in a way resembling muscle spasms. Styles continues the grieving process following the breakup - this time seeming to go back and forth between denial and bargaining. He denies any responsibility or fault regarding the breakup: "Don't blame me for falling," he asserts at the beginning of the song. "I was just a little boy." The word "falling" is, I think, intended to be a callback to the previous song, and he is saying that he can't be blamed either for falling in love with her or for falling so hard when the relationship ended. He also seems to be bargaining, however, almost as if he is pleading with the subject, asking to be taken back since he is not at fault: "I just hope you see me in a better light," he reasons in the song's second verse. "Do you think it's easy being of the jealous kind? 'Cause I miss the shape of your lips." This is likely a callback to "Cherry," in which he expresses vindictive jealousy toward his ex's new lover. He still has not accepted that he must move on; he still seems to want her to come back, but at the same time, he is also still battling a little bit of anger when he demands that she never "call [him] 'baby' again." Does this seem complicated? Well, if so, then try getting your heart broken if you never have because I can assure you that it is complicated. You are constantly coasting between anger, depression, despair, hopelessness, loathing yourself, loathing your ex, and so forth. Grief is not linear, and Styles' accurate depiction of the grieving process is one of several reasons why I love Fine Line so much. As I said, it reminds me of the narrative heard on one of my favorite albums of all time - Björk's Vulnicura.

"She" is yet another highlight for me, as I love its vintage sound. It is a somewhat trippy and psychedelic rock number that reminds me of late Beatles. It, in fact, reminds me a lot of The Beatles' song "She's Leaving Home," and the fact that the song is titled "She," the first word of that Beatles song, might mean that the similarities are intentional, that Styles was influenced by the song. In this downtempo '60s-esque soft rock song, Styles seems to be bargaining - wondering if he can ever find love again and what his ideal lover would be like: "...She lives in daydreams with me... I don't know who she is." He is saying that because this "she" does not (yet) exist, she currently resides only in his fantasies. What is interesting here is that he seems to be slowly nearing the end of the grieving process and reaching acceptance because even though he wants love, not once does he specify with whom he wants it (meaning not necessarily his ex); he, in fact, acknowledges that he doesn't know who the "she" is. The ninth track on Fine Line is probably my favorite song on the album. Titled "Sunflower, Vol. 6," it is ridiculously catchy and playful, especially playful when Styles scats in digitally altered tones near the end of the song. I am not sure why this upbeat indie rock song is marked as being the sixth volume, but this suggests that it could mean that there are five songs preceding it that are about the same subject. That source as well as Genius both suggest that the song represents Styles approaching the acceptance stage of the grieving process, no longer dwelling on the negative aspects of the relationship that led to its demise but rather choosing to see the relationship as happy memories: "Sunflower, my eyes want you more than a melody." This line reminds me of a line from "Watermelon Sugar" in which Styles sings that it "tastes like strawberries on a summer evenin', and it sounds just like a song." That's twice on the album that Styles compares being in love with someone to music, and it makes sense because listening to music can oftentimes initiate intense euphoria just like a drug might, and love can do the same thing. Like Post Malone and Swae Lee do on their song "Sunflower," the sunflower here is likely being used as a metaphor for something pure and beautiful.

"Canyon Moon" is an upbeat track featuring acoustic guitar and a light tribal beat. It's somewhat folksy and very fun, especially because of the feel-good whistling heard throughout the song; you can almost imagine Harry and a band jamming away with smiles on their faces. Similar to "Sunflower, Vol. 6," the speaker is nearing the end of the grieving process and is reflecting on the happy memories of the relationship. Earlier on the album - on "Falling" - Styles refers to Beachwood Café, saying that there is no more coffee there, so the Beachwood Café could be a place that was special to him because it was a place where he spent precious time with his ex. I bring this up now because the Beachwood Café is located in Beachwood Canyon in Los Angeles, so that could very well be the eponymous canyon being alluded to in this song. "Staring at the ceiling; two weeks, and I'll be home," Styles asserts in the third verse of the song, and the way that I interpret this is that he is saying that he only needs a little bit more time - two weeks or so - until he has fully recovered from the breakup. He only needs a little more time to reflect on the good memories (possibly in a place such as Beachwood Canyon where his relationship blossomed), and he will then be ready to move on. I say that especially because it is a potential callback to "To Be So Lonely" when he says that "it's hard for me to go home." Next to "Sunflower, Vol. 6," I think that "Treat People with Kindness" is likely my second favorite song on the album. It has some soul and funk influence and also features Queen-esque harmonies in its chorus. The song can easily be compared to '70s rock such as Queen and Elton John, and it imagines a utopia in which people are kind to each other: "Maybe, we can find a place to feel good, and we can treat people with kindness, find a place to feel good." Styles imagines a future where there is no more hatred and bigotry, and it's definitely a beautiful image. I also think that the song speaks to his having finally reached the end of the grieving process: "I don't need all the answers. Feeling good in my skin, I just keep on dancin'." He is done grieving; it's time to move on and find new happiness. Perhaps, this utopia is also a place where hearts don't get broken.

The album closes with the title track, a lengthy downbeat number at over six minutes. It is an appropriate way to close the album because it feels like a dreamy afterthought, like the album's epilogue. Styles has also said that it was always going to be the closing track because of how it brings the conflicting emotions on the album together: "You've got my devotion, but man, I can hate you sometimes." This not only addresses the songs of love on the album (such as "Watermelon Sugar" and "Adore You") but also the more bitter and angry songs (such as "Cherry" and "Falling"). It also speaks to the uncomfortable truth that love and hate aren't really opposites as we tend to consider them to be. They are both powerful emotions that require passion, and they can be felt for a singular person at the same time, especially in regards to someone whom we love who has hurt us. P!nk covers it well in her song "True Love": "...I really hate you so much, I think it must be true love..." The delicate and higher register vocals over a softly strumming guitar make this song sound like an atmospheric folk song and reminds me a great deal of the song "Rosyln" by St. Vincent and Bon Iver. I overall love this album and prefer it even to Styles' first solo album. It's difficult for me to say that because Harry Styles houses my top favorite song of his - "Sign of the Times" - but Fine Line offers a tighter narrative and more variety. I also prefer the way that the tracklisting is structured on Fine Line. As I mentioned in my review of Harry Styles, I don't like "Sign of the Times" being placed so close to the front of the album because it sounds much more like a closing track, but nothing on Fine Line sounds out of place. I will hopefully - as long as this COVID-19 pandemic passes by then and it doesn't get canceled - be seeing Harry live on October 30th this year with my close friend Michelle. The show happens to fall on her birthday, and I am really looking forward to it because I have yet to see him live. I shamefully didn't know, for example, until recently that Treat People with Kindness is a slogan that Styles has been using for a few years now, with it even appearing on tour merchandise. Here is to hoping that I will be attending that show and updating everyone with my review of it!