Tyler’s Favorite Song : “Woman”

Matt’s Favorite Song : “Sign of the Times”

In 2011 a boy band who called themselves One Direction released their first album. Since then, and the band members have gone their separate ways. With former members Zayn Malik and Niall Horan both releasing solo albums, many anxious fans were awaiting Harry Styles’ solo debut. On April 7, Styles released the first glimpse of his solo work with the single “Sign of the Times”, and finally on May 12 he released his self-titled album, Harry Styles.

The very first track of the album, “Meet Me in the Hallway” opens with a simple guitar and Styles’ voice with a filter over it. The simplicity of the song shows that this album is not just another One Direction album, and that Harry is definitely solo. The first single, “Sign of the Times” is an elegant ballad which features a beautiful instrumental and Styles’ grand vocals. While many of the songs are good, the album has a few low points, and one of those low points is the track “Kiwi”. This song is an attempt at rock anthem, but falls short of the desired song writing, as it seems Styles’ got bored and decided to just repeat himself numerous times. One of the biggest downfalls of the album is just how repetitive it can seem at times with its short 10 song tracklist and 40 minute run time.

Overall, the album is a good step out into a solo career for Harry Styles. The fans that loved him in One Direction will most likely stick around to hear his angelic voice, but will have to get used to the new tastes in genre that Styles’ has acquired since his boy band days. It is nice to hear him do something he wants to do, and putting his time into something with meaning. We give this album a 3 out of 5. While Harry Styles has grown and improved, he still has some learning to do when it comes to songwriting and pacing. This album is available on iTunes and Spotify.