It’s a pity that boybands are never taken too seriously within the industry, particularly those thrown together in the name of a talent show in which they auditioned for as solo acts as teenagers and were expected to simply just find their sound in a few hours during boot camp. Now that we have solo projects from the former members of One Direction, in retrospect there was some genuine musicianship and talent within the group (we don’t talk about Liam Payne’s disastrous debut) and not just pretty faces that made for a marketing team’s dream. Particularly for Harry Styles, arguably the most successful of the five; his debut single Sign of the Times was a massive success and he counts music icons such as Elton John and Mick Jagger as fans of his work.
It was clear, especially towards the end, that none of the members of One Direction’s hearts were truly in it – and who could blame them? They had auditioned for the X Factor with plans to be solo singers, each with their own individual styles and influences. Towards the end of One Direction’s run it was evident that the remaining four members had outgrown the teeny bopper sound they had been constrained by for so many years. Moving on with an indefinite hiatus was a smart move. They were itching to escape and start working on their own material, in whatever style they wanted, without having to garner approval from the other members. Their solo material all has wildly different sounds and if you were to listen solely to their individual records having never heard a One Direction song in your life, it would be hard to believe that they were ever part of the same group. There’s no wonder that they disbanded and only truly shone as solo acts nine years after first forming – at least most of them, anyway.
The Jagger of his generation, Styles has hordes of loyal fans and an undeniable influence on the music industry due to the sheer magnitude of the success of One Direction and his solo projects across the globe. Far from his boyband beginnings, Styles made a huge splash in 2017 with his debut solo record, self-titled Harry Styles. It was interesting to hear how much his influences of The Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Fleetwood Mac shaped Styles’ sound. His debut was a homage to the music Styles grew up around, without ever being a copycat. Now with the release of his second full length record, Styles returns with Fine Line, the more mature, more refined older sibling to Harry Styles.
The lead single, Lights Up, released in October, was a psychedelic pop shuffle that leaves you bopping your head along to the beat. Closely followed by Watermelon Sugar, which debuted on SNL. The second single is a punchy track with a layered climax including a bright horn section – the perfect teaser ahead of the release of Styles’ second LP.
Fine Line is slightly edgier, cooler and little bit more rock and roll. Full of 70s glam-rock nostalgia, Styles transcends genres of pop, folk, rock and blues and while sonically the record shines, it lacks in memorable lyrics. It makes for a pleasant listen and leaves catchy melodies replaying in my head but none of the lyrics resonate with me too deeply, except perhaps in Cherry, a Fleetwood Mac sounding track about Styles’ heartache over ex-girlfriend Camille Rowe – she features on the end of the song in the form of a voicemail, a nice little personal touch.
Fine Line is not quite perfect – Styles almost loses his way in the last third with Canyon Moon and Treat People With Kindness, the weakest songs on the record - but it’s a refreshing album, one that you know just from listening that he had a lot of fun creating. It’s evident in the finished product that Harry Styles knows how to make music and unlike some of his boyband peers who were better off remaining in the comfort of a group, Styles has truly come into his own as a solo artist. Stand outs upon first listen include Golden, Falling and She.
ABOUT THE RECORD:
Release date: December 13, 2019
Label: Columbia Records