Styles walks a ‘Fine Line’ on classic retro rock
In the short time since One Direction dramatically disbanded in 2015, its members have struck out in wildly different, well, directions.
As solo artists, Zayn Malik and Liam Payne have scored sexy R&B-pop hits, Niall Horan has found his niche as a folk singer-songwriter, and Louis Tomlinson has recently dipped his toe in ’90s-style soft rock.
But it’s Harry Styles who has taken the biggest swing, fully leaning into ’70s-inspired psychedelic rock on his 2017 self-titled debut album, which drew heavily from classic-rock giants including The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac. (The singer even became fast friends with Stevie Nicks, inducting and performing alongside her at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony earlier this year.)
Styles’ sophomore effort “Fine Line,” out today, doubles down on those retro influences to charismatic and at times thrilling effect. Second single “Watermelon Sugar” is the album’s intoxicating standout, encapsulating the sultry, funky spirit of the project. Crooning over warm horn blasts and a throbbing bass line, Styles evocatively recalls a past fling and its sweet aftertaste. (”I want your belly and that summer feeling / getting washed away in you.”)
The head-nodding, Pink Floyd-esque “She” showcase Styles’ gifts as a storyteller, assuming the role of a presumably older man who’s ready to risk it all for a mystery woman he can’t shake. “Sunflower, Vol. 6” and “Lights Up” are similarly spacey and sunny, as Styles showcases his impressive falsetto and knack for vivid imagery, suggestively singing on the former, “Plant new seeds in the melody / let me inside, I wanna get to know you.”
Styles occasionally fades to the background. His uncharacteristically flat, personality-less delivery is overwhelmed by the energetic production of album opener “Golden,” and he brings little spark to the jaunty (and slightly off-putting) “Treat People with Kindness.” But he thrives when he takes away the bells and whistles, showing us emotional maturity and depth on melancholy album closer “Fine Line” and stripped-down ballad “Falling.”
Accompanied primarily by piano on the latter, the 25-year-old delivers what is perhaps his rawest, most vulnerable vocal performance yet, with achingly specific lyrics about lost love and past mistakes that could be lifted from the pages of a diary. (“What am I now? What if I’m someone I don’t want to be around?”)
Like other nostalgia-inducing artists Haim and Tame Impala, Styles’ throwback sound can be reverential to a fault. “Fine Line” sometimes has the feel of someone trying to mimic their mom and dad’s favorite records, but wary to color too far outside the lines. But as a whole, the album is a confident and refreshing late arrival in a mostly forgettable year for pop music, reconfirming Styles’ status as a bona fide rock star.