Harry Styles - Harry's House [Review]

Harry's House is English pop-rock musician Harry Styles' third studio album as a solo artist after the disbanding of One Direction. The album follows Harry Styles (2017) and Fine Line (2019) and is quite honestly probably his best album so far, which is a very tall compliment because Harry Styles and Fine Line are both fantastic albums. Harry's House just somehow feels rawer and realer and even more beautiful, and I definitely think that it's lyrically his strongest work so far and offers his best vocals to date. I remember when I first saw the tracklisting, I expected the opening track to be a soft, atmospheric number, and I predicted that for two reasons: (1) that is typical of Harry, as evidenced by "Meet Me in the Hallway" and "Golden") and (2) the title - "Music for a Sushi Restaurant" - created a calm and serene image in my mind, but the song is ultimately anything but music for a sushi restaurant. It's fun and funky, music that I would expect to hear at lively parties rather than at sushi restaurants (which, from my own experience, usually play mellow music such as instrumental eastern music or classical). As much as I do like the song, however, it's far from being my favorite from the album because it's lyrically pretty simple - a love song admiring the beauty of the speaker's lover: "Green eyes, fried rice, I could cook an egg on you," he opens, obviously putting a spin on the popular saying that it's so hot outside that you could cook an egg on the pavement so that the love interest is the pavement, meaning that they're "hot" in the other sense of the word. It is, as I said, a very fun song but just not, in my opinion, the best that album has to offer, although if you care to see Harry Styles as a mermaid (using excellent effects if I may say so myself), then definitely check out the song's cinematic music video.

We then get "Late Night Talking," and along with the opener, it's likely about Harry's partner Olivia Wilde. Styles is no stranger to incorporating retro vibes into his music ("Treat People with Kindness"), but it's arguably most prominent on Harry's House, with "Late Night Talking" serving as an example, sounding very much like a '70s pop song with a hint of the synth that would become more popular in the '80s. It's upbeat and playful like "Music for a Sushi Restaurant" while also being a more reserved, with lyrics referring to a lover with whom Harry enjoys... well, late night talking. He also expresses a desire to be a source of comfort, declaring that "if you're feeling down, I just want to make you happier, baby." There are also hints that the relationship is at least temporarily long-distance because he then follows that up with "Wish I was around; I just want to make you happier, baby." It's fun, but Harry's House still has not dipped into its true highlights, which it first does on its third track, "Grapejuice." The very first time that I heard this song, my immediate thought was that it reminded me of Gorillaz / Damon Albarn, not only because of the funky groove but also because of the vocals, which are reminiscent of Albarn's especially when his vocals are digitally filtered a bit at exactly the 1:00 mark. It's a mellow earworm and is basically a love letter to red wine. The song might be another one about a lover, but I'm not so sure; I think that the "lover" might in fact be wine. He starts with a story involving his going to buy flowers for his lover but then deciding to buy a bottle of wine instead. The wine does not seem to be a gift for his partner but rather for himself, as he then goes on to say in the second verse that he is a "couple glasses in." (While he does refer to all of the places that "just me and you" have been, I, again, think that he is addressing the wine.) Later in the song, he croons that "there's just no getting through the grape juice blues," suggesting that he is drinking this bottle of wine with an air of melancholy.

Harry's House then offers up its lead single "As It Was" (which I am going to skip over in this review only because I already discussed and reviewed it here). Dreamy and playful while also light and airy,"Daylight" is definitely one of my favorites. (What's my #1 top favorite? Well, you will have to stay tuned to find out!) As previously mentioned, long distance seems to be a recurrent theme on Harry's House, with it being referred to several times on several different songs. "Daylight" seems to be another example of this: "If I was a bluebird," he sings playfully in the bridge, "I would fly to you." (While probably a coincidence, it's worth noting that when I saw Harry live Halloween weekend 2021, he was dressed as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz and did an emotionally raw rendition of "Over the Rainbow," which features the line "somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly." Bluebirds are said to represent hope, so it might not be a coincidence that Styles brings that imagery into this song.) I just adore this song's playful, hopeful, and airy quality, and it's definitely, as I said, one of my favorites from the album. With that being said, however, while there isn't a single song on this album that is bad, there are definitely ones that I like better than others, and "Little Freak" is one of my lesser favorites. It is a very soft and atmospheric ballad featuring gentle guitar and synths that reflects on a relationship that seems to have since ended. The narrator wishes that the relationship didn't end the way that it did: "...jumped in feet first, and I landed too hard," he laments in the third verse, "a broken ankle; karma rules." It's like he's saying that he fell too hard and too fast for this person and paid the price. It's such a beautiful song, and I do love it; it just doesn't emotionally hit me as hard as some of the others do.

As a perfect example of a song that does hit me really hard emotionally is "Matilda," not only because I just love the song but also because I find myself relating to the lyrics. It's another very soft acoustic ballad with Styles' gentle and velvety vocals carrying it forward. It reminds me a lot of The Fray, especially when Harry sings in falsetto in the bridge: "You don't have to go; you don't have to go home." As per Harry himself, the song's lyrics are based on someone he actually knows whom he disguises as the titular Roald Dahl character, expressing empathy toward them for having had a rough home life and a very conflicted relationship with their family. The speaker tells them that it's okay to let go of toxic people even if they're family: "You can let it go," he encourages in the chorus. "You can throw a party full of everyone you know and not invite your family 'cause they never showed you love. You don't have to be sorry for leavin' and 'growin' up." So emotionally raw and moving, this song is such a gem and definitely one of the album's strongest numbers. I do remember seeing, however, a meme that depicted a sad Spongebob vs. a partying Spongebob, with the text referring to the transition on Harry's House between "Matilda" and "Cinema," and it was definitely accurate. The album is overall very soft and mellow, but there are spots that pick up in energy, and this is one of those spots. The song has somewhat of a disco groove to it with Styles' soulful voice appreciating the beauty and uniqueness of someone (likely a lover given the suggestive lyrics near the end: "you pop when we get intimate"), comparing them to a movie: "I dig your cinema." While not necessarily a highlight for me, as I said, there is no song on this album that is bad, and this song is a lot of fun and definitely unlike anything Harry has done to date.

The next two tracks on the album are two of my favorites. "Daydreaming" is an upbeat dance track that once again brings in disco and funk influence, and the "ahyee-yah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah" motif (which is borrowed from The Brothers Johnson's 1978 song "Ain't We Funkin' Now") that repeats throughout is so cheerful. (In fact, I remember first hearing it and experiencing a boost of serotonin that I didn't know I needed thanks to that hook.) The track is possibly another love letter to Olivia Wilde, as it seems to address a lover with whom Harry is so happy that he feels like it's a dream. After all, wasn't it Dr. Seuss who said that you know that you're in love when reality is finally better than your dreams? "Stay until the morning," he declares in the second verse, "'cause, baby, lovin' you's the real thing," and I call special attention to these lyrics because I like how they very likely have more than one meaning. The speaker's asking the subject to stay the night could very well have a sexual implication, with his affirmation that "lovin' you's the real thing" being his way of assuring that it's not just a one-night-stand. Fitting the song's title and the aforementioned Dr. Seuss sentiment, however, he could also be saying that he would rather spend the night with this person than go to sleep because that time would be better than anything he could ever dream about. "Keep Driving" is another one of my very favorites because it's so sonically beautiful and has this air of nostalgia around it. It's kind of hard to explain, but it's like it brings you back to a simple, happy time, even if it's imagined as opposed to an actual memory. The lyrics have a sort of stream-of-consciousness style to them which is another reason I really love it, and it thematically reminds me a lot of "At Full Speed" by Jack's Mannequin. Both songs are, on the surface, about escaping hardships by taking a road trip (or even running away altogether) to a new location with a loved one, living in the moment as you're doing so.

"Satellite" has a synthy, '80s sound to it and sounds a lot to me like something that Troye Sivan might have done, especially on Blue Neighbourhood. It lyrically addresses something that Harry has definitely addressed plenty before, especially on his first album: a lack of communication. "Boyfriends" is definitely another highlight for me (especially because it's another one with which I find myself relating). It's a soft folksy song with acoustic guitar that is pretty brilliant lyrically and conceptually. It addresses men's toxic behavior in relationships, acknowledging that it's cyclical and continues in part because the person who is being neglected and/or emotionally abused in the relationship is in love. This is addressed multiple times such as when he points out that "you love a fool who knows just how to get under your skin, [but] you, you still open the door." He also calls back to "Daydreaming" in the line "you lay with him as you stay in the daydream." What makes this song especially clever, however? It opens and ends the same way, with the line: "Ooh... fool, you're back at it again," except it's backmasked in the opening. Isn't it fitting that a line about being "back at it again" would bookend the song, given that the song is about the cyclical nature of toxic behavior? It's a great song, but here we arrive at my favorite song from Harry's House. What do I love about "Love of My Life"? I love the punctuating synth which reminds me a great deal of MARINA's "End of the Earth." I love the lyrics, which can either be interpreted as a love letter to the narrator's titular lover or as a love letter to England (the latter of which was apparently the intent according to Harry). The piano outro alone (which can be heard in reverse in the album trailer), however, is enough to skyrocket this song to my top favorite not only from this album but possibly from Harry's entire discography thus far. It sounds like what being in love feels like, and it brings tears to my eyes and sends chills down my spine. It's an absolutely beautiful masterpiece as is the album as a whole - the album of 2022. Bravo!

Greyson Chance - Homerun Hitter - Single [Review]

American singer and songwriter Greyson Chance is set to release his next studio effort Palladium fairly soon (to the best of my knowledge, a concrete release date has yet to be revealed), and "Homerun Hitter" makes for the album's third single following the title track and "Athena" (both reviewed here). "Homerun Hitter" starts off very softly, with Greyson softly humming over a gently strumming acoustic guitar, and the melody in the verses is chillingly beautiful, with Chance singing in a somewhat higher register that occasionally drifts up into falsetto. The song takes a somewhat surprising turn, however, when it suddenly becomes a bit more upbeat in the chorus (which sets it apart a bit from the first two Palladium singles): "...'Cause I thought you were the homerun hitter, the cherry that never bitters..." I love the rhythm of the chorus, and I, in fact, think that this might be my favorite song of the three singles so far. While I don't know for sure, I suspect that "Homerun Hitter" was inspired, at least partially, by Greyson's ex-boyfriend Ben, with whom he broke up not too long ago. Chance has even commented on the song's meaning, saying, "'Homerun Hitter' is... a cold splash of water to the face. It represents that moment of looking at yourself in the mirror, unsure of what to do and where to go next. Sometimes you can be in love without it being the right love." Not only does he directly refer to being in love, that feeling of not knowing where to go next is definitely a relatable feeling after a relationship ends. Like "Palladium" and "Athena," this is a very open, honest, and vulnerable Greyson Chance, and I am definitely looking forward to hearing what the rest of the album has to offer. I seem to recall Greyson saying that this would be the final single released before the album drops, so we will hopefully get a release date and tracklisting soon!

Within Temptation - Don't Pray for Me - Single [Review]

"Don't Pray for Me" is presumably the fourth single from Dutch metal band Within Temptation's upcoming eighth studio album (the title of which has not yet been revealed). The string of new singles began two years ago with "Entertain You" (reviewed here) and continued with "The Purge" (reviewed here), "Shed My Skin" (reviewed here), and now "Don't Pray for Me." While all four songs are great songs in their own rights, I do think that "Don't Pray for Me" might be my favorite. Like the band's last album Resist, there is somewhat of a futuristic synthy sound to it while still maintaining a heavy metal weight to it. (The music video even has somewhat of a futuristic sci-fi feel to it, as does the music video for Resist's lead single, "The Reckoning.") The song also features a persistent choir motif throughout which I love because I really love symphonic rock and metal, and it brings me back to the days of The Heart of Everything (my second favorite Within Temptation album next to Resist) when songs like "The Howling" and "Final Destination" brought in theatrical aspects such as a choir. Close to the end of the track, we also get frontwoman Sharon den Adel's haunting chanting in a higher register than most of what she offers on the rest of the song, also a signature sound that brings me back to the band's earlier days. The song's meaning is definitely up for interpretation (as is typical of Within Temptation's style of songwriting as their lyrics are sometimes rather cryptic and open-ended), but I personally interpret it as being about overcoming strife and hardship relying on no one other than yourself: "In hell is where I stand," Sharon declares in the second verse. "It's where I find my inner strength." Speaking of the lyrics, I definitely have to tip my proverbial hat to this song's lyrics because I think that this song makes for some of the band's best lyrics to date, and I especially love the line, "For my confessions, I don't need a church." As I said, it, to the best of my knowledge, is still unclear whether these four singles released over the last two years are standalone singles or are the first four singles from an upcoming studio album, but I am definitely hoping for the latter and am hoping that the band makes an announcement about the next album soon!

Lady Gaga - Hold My Hand - Single [Review]

Whereas Berlin offered up "Take My Breath Away" in 1986 for Top Gun, current pop sensation Lady Gaga released "Hold My Hand" earlier this year specifically for the film's sequel, Top Gun: Maverick. (In fact, not only did she release the song alongside the movie, she also helped write the film's score!) The song is a bassy power ballad that eventually brings in electric guitar reminiscent of '80s rock, and the track as a whole reminds me a great deal of Faith Hill's 2002 album Cry (especially the title track and "Unsaveable"), and while I do really like it, I can't say that it's Gaga's best work to date. It just feels kind of like a generic power ballad to me lacking in the unique creativity at which Gaga usually excels. (It's also a tad annoying to me how Gaga is seen artfully slamming away at a piano in the music video, yet I don't hear any piano in the song, so if it's there, it has to be buried deep.) With that being said, however, her vocal delivery is powerful to say the least, especially in the song's chorus. (Love her or hate her, you can't deny that Gaga has pipes.) The lyrics of the song remind me a bit of Gaga's 2017 song "The Cure" as both songs are from the perspective of someone offering to be a source of comfort for someone going through a rough time: "So cry tonight," she belts out in the chorus, "but don't you let go of my hand. You can cry every last tear. I won't leave 'til I understand. Promise me; just hold my hand." As is the case with a lot of music and, for that matter, art in general, the song is open to more than one interpretation. As Gaga herself states, "When I wrote this song for Top Gun: Maverick, I didn't even realize the multiple layers it spanned across the film's heart, my own psyche, and the nature of the world we've been living in... I wanted to make music into a song where we share our deep need to both be understood and try to understand each other - a longing to be close when we feel so far away and an ability to celebrate life's heroes... This song is a love letter to the world during and after a very hard time." With that explanation offered, it's easy to see how she might have drawn inspiration not only from the film but also from recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, making it even more culturally meaningful.

Greyson Chance - Palladium - Single / Athena - Single [Review]

Greyson Chance will soon be following up his Trophies EP with a new album titled Palladium and has so far released two singles from it - the title track and "Athena." "Palladium" is very beautiful, featuring somewhat of an alternative rock Imagine Dragons meets Passion Pit vibe to it. Acoustic guitar and piano dominate the track along with Greyson's mid-register vocals, softly and gently fluttering throughout the track. (I absolutely love his vocals on this track; I would even go as far as to say that this is some of his best vocal work to date.) He also, in the latter half of the track, shows off his range by rising into falsetto in the song's bridge. The song is beautiful not only sonically but also thematically, as it is from the perspective of someone who yearns to be a specific person's protector and guiding light: "I just wanna try to protect you," Chance declares in the song's chorus, "like your skin protects your blood... and if I ever let you go, then my whole kingdom's done." Commenting on the song's meaning, Greyson has stated, "The song is inspired by an ancient Greek myth I had researched when I was in college studying archaeology. When I was writing the lyric, I thought of how the myth relayed back to my own life. Palladium is about protecting the most sacred parts of yourself, which in this case, is my creativity as an artist. Throughout my entire career, I have been told what my music should sound like." This is interesting because that very much makes it a song about self-love (as is his song "Bad to Myself"), but the beautiful thing about music and art in general is that, much of the time, it is open to interpretation and can therefore also be regarded by someone as a love song directed toward someone other than yourself.

In keeping with the theme of Ancient Greece (which will perhaps be the theme of the album overall?), the second single released thus far from Palladium is titled "Athena." "Athena" is a tad more upbeat than "Palladium" and also features electric guitar, but it is still in more or less the same vein, again sounding like a soft rock track reminiscent of Imagine Dragons or The Lumineers. Once again, though, I really love Greyson's vocals here. He seems to be striving to experiment a bit with his tone and his range, and I am here for it. (He almost doesn't even sound like himself in the verses, but he sounds great!) Of the song's meaning, Chance has commented, "'Athena' is all about letting go and surrendering to love... Athena is a God mainly associated with love, but she is also so much more than that. In many myths, Athena appears stubborn and hardheaded. In past relationships I've exhibited those same traits, and even more unfortunate ones too. For me, Athena is about recognizing those faults, and acknowledging that every person needs love... they key is just being open to it." I think that it is also worth mentioning that Athena is also known as the goddess of wisdom, so, in the song's chorus, when Chance pleads, "...Where is Athena? God damn it, I need her," he is very likely also asking for the wisdom needed to open himself up to love. The theme of the song reminds me of a line from his song "Low" in which he sings that "I think I'm ready to hear 'I love you.'" As previously mentioned, "Athena" features electric guitar, and that aspect of it reminds me so much of Jack's Mannequin, especially their song "Spinning" which even got stuck in my head after listening to this. I adore both of these songs, and if they are harbingers of what's to come on Palladium, then this is likely going to be Greyson's best album yet.

VV - Loveletting - Single [Review]

In 2017, I finally fulfilled a long-standing dream of seeing one of my favorite bands of all time - HIM. Seeing them followed the devastating news that they were disbanding after more than two decades together and consequently going on a farewell tour, and I knew that I would need to see them on that tour since it was going to be my last chance. It was such a great experience, but it was also a very emotional one, knowing that it was my last chance and also knowing that I was never again going to hear a new HIM song. Fast-forward to 2020, however, and HIM frontman Ville Valo (under the name VV) released an EP titled Gothica Fennica Vol. 1 featuring three new songs - "Salute the Sanguine," "Run Away from the Sun," and "Saturnine Saturnalia." While it was not HIM, it might as well have been because it sounded just like HIM's typical style of melancholy bluesy metal; VV even revived the heartagram, now slightly updated so that his initials were featured within. There was unfortunately no news, however, regarding whether or not the EP was an album sampler or if there would be a Gothica Fennica Vol. 2 - no news until recently (two years later), that is. On April 8th, VV dropped a new single titled "Loveletting," by far my favorite of the four songs that Ville has thus far released as a solo artist. Like the three songs on Gothica Fennica Vol. 1, it's definitely very much in keeping with HIM, reminding me most especially of the band's 2010 album Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice, Chapters 1-13. A somewhat melancholy but also beautiful and hopeful keyboard motif opens the song which is primarily a mellow rock song with the keyboard motif being joined by a gentle electric guitar riff, and Valo's velvety voice singing the lulling melody of the chorus is enough on its own to remind me of how much I have missed HIM. It lyrically seems to address star-crossed lovers who cannot be together: "Two heartbeats out of sync with each other and crying." (This is also typical HIM territory thematically.) While I don't know for sure, I am thinking that Ville is probably playing all instruments on the track because that was apparently the case on Gothica Fennica, and even though Ville has announced a solo album on the way titled Neon Noir (the lead single of which being "Loveletting"), it's as of now unclear if the three songs on the EP will be on the album or if there will be a Gothica Fennica Vol. 2. Either way, however, I am so excited about this album!

Harry Styles - As It Was - Single [Review]

Following the late 2019 release of his second solo album Fine Line, Harry Styles is releasing his third studio album, titled Harry's House, on May 20th. The album's lead single, released on April 1st, is titled "As It Was" and broke records on its first day of release. The song is an uptempo alternative pop song with synth that gives it a bit of an '80s and early '90s feel. (Parts of it, in fact, especially the motif with which the song opens, remind me of The Cure's 1992 song "Friday I'm in Love.") In keeping with the title of the album (which, again, is Harry's House), the lyrics of the song definitely do seem to address some sort of isolation or being held back from human interaction: "'Harry, you're no good alone. Why are you sitting at home on the floor?'" Styles also claims that he can't interact in the way that he would like to because "gravity's holdin' me back" and asks for someone else to be the one to make the first move of reaching out: "I want you to hold out the palm of your hand." The intro of the song, in fact, features a young child speaking the following words: "Come on, Harry, we want to say goodnight to you." As Styles has confirmed himself, that is actually Harry's goddaughter Ruby and is from an actual voicemail left by her: "[Ruby] got a streak of calling me every night before bed," he revealed, "and I missed it once, and she wanted to let me know that she was quite angry with me." Once I learned that, this song (and especially that intro) became so much more precious, and it definitely fits with the song's theme of social isolation. Harry has also further elaborated upon the meaning of the song, commenting, "The song is about metamorphosis, embracing change and former self, perspective shift and all that kind of stuff." I personally love the fun, synthy energy of the song and can't wait for the album, especially since I feel like if this song is a harbinger of what's to come on the album, this may just end up being even better than Harry Styles or Fine Line!