I'm actually really surprised he did a 1D song, I heard he wasn't even wanting to answer questions about them when "Sign of the Times" dropped.
omg. It's like he heard me complain that his songs were okay but kinda boring and meandering and came out the gate with a song that seems fun and also Stockholm Syndrome from their GOAT album! I'm not surprised tho. I think the smartest thing about him is how he never alienates 1D fans cause they're gonna be the bulk of his fans until (or unless) he finds more footing with the gp
my mum has probably asked me 4 or 5 times if i have "listened to the new harry styles song", so, after reading this thread, i'm not sure which one she means lol. i'll just wait for the album though, since it's only a few days away.
weirdly enough, she asked again lol, and she meant "sign of the times". she made me listen to it lol, and it's alright. watched the performances on the today show for "carolina" and "ever since new york". i think they're all OK. none of them really do much for me. i'll still listen to the album though.
Album is out there... listening now. The classic rock fan in me is pleased, but I just wish the lyrics had more depth.
Honestly was mildly disappointed by this whole album... Sign of the Times set my expectations too high, it's still the best song on here for me. Don't get me wrong there are some good tracks, but I can't see myself needing to go back to much of it. I think I just let my hopes get too high lol.
With you wholeheartedly on that. Halfway through Woman right now and this whole record's felt kind of like a well-meaning-but-poorly-executed pastiche of classic rock tropes gone by way of lazy modern pop dressings. I thought that Meet Me In The Hallway made for a fascinating opener and that ditties like Two Ghosts/Sweet Creature were quite pretty, but tracks like Kiwi and Only Angel left me cringing -- which is a shame because the intro section for the latter seemed to be heading in such an interesting direction.
From The Dining Table (the closer) is a melancholic acoustic number that features lines like "Woke up alone in this hotel room / played with myself, where were you?". Didn't expect I'd be hitting what seems to be a slight nod to Sufjan Stevens on this thing. Chalk this track up as one of the bunch I dig, by the way.
As someone who is certainly not a One Direction fan I certainly didn't think I'd even be listening to Harry Styles album all the way through, let alone anticipating it highly after loving the first single. It's pretty good. Too much repetitive songwriting for my likes but overall it has a good feel. Nothing mindblowing but I think Styles has a chance to really be a interesting figure in music as he grows up.
I actually don't mind Kiwi and Only Angel, even if they're certainly nothing special... just taken as a whole, it's very pastiche as you said, and doesn't do much to stand out from its influences.
this is solid, about as good as I thought it would be. Nothing here is as good as peak 1D songs for me on first listen, but I'm glad he went fully into his dad rock influences
Definitely agree with this, it feels like a step in a direction that he could experiment more in, open up more, explore his influences and consequently produce something really quite interesting - but that this is a stepping stone as a means to get him there in future releases. It's a set-up, and unfortunately one that is a little flat, even at that. That being said some good or plain fun songs on here: love "Meet Me In The Hallway" is a great opener and I love those vibes, "Carolina" is fun as hell, "Only Angel" and "Kiwi" are perfect examples of the "pastiche of classic rock tropes"...but I like to hear him belt out his vocals massively so look forward to live performances of these songs surfacing. Otherwise, it's okay.
Harry should at least double, possibly triple Paramore. Unrelated, I'm very excited for both releases!
Honestly thought we'd only get to page 2 before someone used the horseshit term "dad rock" and I wanted to set the thread on fire. Made it further than I thought.
hahahahahaha I use it in a joking way, no offense intended. It's one of those terms that I myself have rolled my eyes at but then started using myself in an ironic way until it goes full circle into just using it. Most of my favorite artists would fall into "dad rock" fwiw
I've said this before in reviews I think, but "dad rock" is the single worst pejorative in music criticism.
My dad listens to like Slayer and Anthrax so that's my #DadRock. I haven't listened to this album but I can't wait to hear those influences in his music!! Natural progression!
Haha ppl use it so much I don't even notice now. I do think it's funny that people have been predicting this sound he'd go for since the 1D hiatus announcement and they were right lol. I was waffling with what i thought he would do. From what I've heard so far it's about what I'd expect tho.