Never Retallack  | Entertainment Editor

Harry Styles is no longer just an old member of the boy band One Direction, but rather a talented and diverse artist. “Fine Line” is Styles’ second album, released in December of 2019. It received much acclaim and was number three on the UK Album Charts and number one on the Billboards 200.

The album had a different sound than his first album, “Sign of the Times” which was more peaceful and almost folk, while “Fine Line” dabbles in rock, pop and some psychedelic soul, while also touching back on the more peaceful folk with a couple songs.

Most of the songs on the album have the core elements of love, sorrow and exploration. In an interview with Rolling Stone he said that the album was “all about having sex and being sad.” Styles also mentioned being more adventurous in the album which is evident with his hit song, “Watermelon Sugar” a summer bop that sounds far different from anything else he has produced. Then his song “Lights Up” touches on self-acceptance and rejection, and seems like a cry of freedom. This transitions right into “Cherry” a peaceful melody with calming guitar, going back to the warm folk he has done before.

One song that really stood out to me in its uniqueness is “To Be So Lonely” it has a different sound than the rest of his songs, and sounds quite uplifting but the meaning touches on some negative qualities of himself and going through heartbreak.

His final song on the 12-track album, “Fine Line” is one of his deepest songs about a relationship that causes more harm than good. It starts quite melancholic, just Styles gently crooning about someone whose love can be bought. The song then builds with more instruments and reaches a fever pitch before coming back down, quite possibly representing the ups and downs that he went through in his relationship or in life. 

An interesting thing that I noted was the difference in the album cover of “Fine Line” and “Sign of the Times.” The stark contrasts between the covers properly showcase how different the two albums are; his first album is dark and moody, while “Fine Line” showcases Styles in white pants and a pink shirt in a psychedelic bubble. It seems to be a visual of how he is pushing himself as an artist with his latest album.

Overall Review: “Fine Line” is an album that I cannot get enough of, it has a little bit of everything, if someone needs a sad song to cry to, there are several, if someone needs to be pumped up, that’s also an option. Styles created an eclectic masterpiece that dives into some of his vulnerabilities, and pushed his normal boundaries when creating music. I highly recommend this album to anyone really, it has enough elements to connect to most people.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu