Feeling at home in Harry’s House

by Ralph Hernandez and Sam Oliquino / June 10, 2022

 

It has been over a month since the release of Harry Styles’ third album “Harry’s House” but we here at The Red Circle are still grooving to its beats.

From his first solo self-titled album in 2017, Harry has been gaining massive popularity and a widely diverse following. Even non-fans have surely heard of Sign of the Times. Harry then followed it up in 2019 with the quite fine “Fine Line” that featured the instant bops Watermelon Sugar and Adore You.

Three years since then, the British singer-songwriter blessed us with 13 more tracks to get stuck in our heads and shake our shoulders to. From a fairly recent Stylers convert and a true-blue Directioner, here are our journey as fans, a few of our favorite songs from the recent album, and more.

Taking a peek at the door

Sam: I started listening to One Direction in 2013 when I was in my 3rd year in college. I don’t know why I suddenly got interested in their music. I just decided to listen to them one day and that was it.  At first, I was in denial that I was starting to become a fan of One Direction. But when I found myself sharing and hyping the band to my friends, that’s the moment I accepted that I am an official Directioner.

I watched their concert here in the Philippines in 2015 and got my heart broken (and even felt a little robbed) when I heard of the news that Zayn will not be able to join the boys in their show here. Thankfully, my “bias” among the five of them is Harry, which in consolation, made me feel relieved that it wasn’t him skipping the event.

Although One Direction still released one last album that year and did not really officially announce that they were disbanding, each of the members started releasing solo singles. This may just be my bias talking, but Harry has become really successful in his solo career compared to the others (more on this later). Apart from releasing three albums, he’s starred in movies such as the World War II epic “Dunkirk,” the MCU movie “Eternals,” and the upcoming thriller “Don’t Worry Darling.”

Ralph: I never really sought out or listened to One Direction songs even at the peak of the group’s popularity. I became engrossed with just one track after I ascribed it to a certain moment in my life at university. Specifically, Drag Me Down became our (me and a couple of friends’) unofficial soundtrack for finishing an important project as we were nearing graduation. “With your love, nobody can drag me down,” amirite?

But what caught my attention towards Harry as a solo artist was the lyrics for Kiwi, which was in his first album: “She’s drivin’ me crazy, but I’m into it … I’m having your baby / It’s none of your business.” The intriguing back and forth in the song made me look for its music video, which was equally delightful. Since then, Harry has been a staple in my playlists and I have always looked forward to his releases.

Stepping into his house

Music For a Sushi Restaurant

Ralph: Harry kicks it off with a not-so-aptly titled song that sets the mood for the rest of the album. The track builds up with techno synths for the first 20 seconds before dropping with mellow bass strums and warm vocals. The song picks up the energy again in the chorus with upbeat, fanfare-like trumpets. It’s this rollercoaster ride that is sure to make you dance or at least bop your shoulders. And I’m pretty sure it’s not a fit for most sushi restaurants.

While the lyrics are minimal with just the occasional ba-ba-bas, the bridge stands out: “If the stars were edible / And our hearts were never full / Could we live with just a taste? / Just a taste.” Now let me go grab some Honey Stars cereal (and maybe some sushi?).

Late Night Talking

Sam: I liked Late Night Talking because I was able to relate to its lyrics on a personal level. It somehow depicts the story of how my boyfriend and I started our relationship. That sudden everyday communication that lasted till before we went to sleep or until one of us started drowsing, leaving the other with an unreplied message. Hehehe kainis din.

Ralph: While I don’t have as deep a connection to the song compared with my colleague here, I do agree that the lyrics definitely stole the spotlight in this song. I feel most in tune with the pre-chorus: “If you’re feeling down, I just wanna make you happier, baby /  Wish I was around, I just wanna make you happier, baby.” Whether it’s making your significant other or even another person smile and laugh, it’s always a delight to make a positive impact on someone. And it definitely helps that Harry has served upbeat yet chill tracks back-to-back now. Do I have a halo on me right now?

As It Was

Ralph: What is it with happy-sounding songs and heart-tugging lyrics? Paramore served a similar dish with Hard Times in 2017, combining retro vibes and fast-paced beats with lines like: “All that I want / Is a hole in the ground / You can tell me when it’s alright / For me to come out.” Harry takes a similar approach with this lead single, highlighted in the chorus with constant drumbeats and trilly electronic keyboards: “In this world, it’s just us / You know it’s not the same as it was.”

That line hits extra hard when you think about the past couple of years we have been enduring with the pandemic. Harry explained it best in an interview with Apple Music, “[E]verything that happened in the pandemic, like, it’s never gonna be the same as before. All of the things happening in the world, it was so obvious that you just can’t go backwards, whether that’s us as people, or me in my personal life, or any of those things, you learn so much in those moments. A force to, like, face things head-on, whether that is your least favorite things about the world, or your least favorite things about yourself, all of those things, you just can’t then pretend that stuff doesn’t exist.” Same, Harry, hard same.

Daydreaming

Sam: Apart from Harry’s some-kind-of-werewolf howl and its funky beat, I really enjoyed Daydreaming’s playful lyrics. It’s not that wholesome, but aren’t most of Harry’s songs not that innocent to begin with? I loved how the lyrics just revolved around a person asking for their lover to have that one, mind-blowing, lovemaking (or maybe something else) because they will be apart for a long time and would need some “baon” for the trip. I mean, “She said, ‘Love me like you paid me’ / You know I’ll be gone for so long / So give me all of your love, give me something to dream about.” Need I say more?

Matilda

Sam: This song sounds a little like Cherry from his sophomore album “Fine Line” but I didn’t mind it that much and still liked it. I find its lyrics very comforting. It reflects how my generation and the succeeding generations are trying to break the cycle of trauma that we experience with families. You can hear this in the chorus: “You can let it go / You can throw a party full of everyone you know / And not invite your family ‘cause they never showed you love / You don’t have to be sorry for leaving and growing up.” 

I think a lot of people will be able to relate to this because no family is perfect. Light or heavy, everyone has that baggage from their families that they still carry even as adults. So yes, Harry, thank you for seeing us and validating our feelings. 

Before you go

And those are our picks from Harry’s latest album. But before you go, we have a few more tea for you. Are you sitting down?

Just recently, Harry’s bandmate in One Direction Liam Payne talked about some drama within the group during their heydays in a podcast with Logan Paul. In one instance, Liam shared that he and an unnamed member almost figured in a fistfight due to an argument backstage. He said he was thrown up against a wall and that he told his bandmate, “If you don’t remove those hands there’s a high likelihood you’ll never use them again.”

Liam also said that while there are “many reasons” why he dislikes Zayn Malik, he will always be on his side after Logan talked about an incident his brother Jake had with Zayn. But perhaps the most cringe-worthy was what Liam claimed about his career, “I think it outsold everybody within the band, and I was the last to go [solo]. And I never expected that.”

Speaking of which, Harry continues to dominate the Billboard Global Charts, with As It Was remaining at No. 1 for the ninth week. Late Night Talking is down at No. 6 after peaking at No. 2, Music For a Sushi Restaurant peaked at No. 5 before going down to No. 20, while Matilda also reached No. 6 before placing at No. 17. Nine more songs from his latest album are still at the Billboard Global 200 as of writing.

What are your favorite tracks from the album? Let us know over at The Red Circle Facebook page. Listen to the album through your preferred platform over here.

Read also

• Leaning into the Kayfabe: Twice Formula of Love: O+T=<3
• The Album in your area
• Top Gun: Maverick, Everything you wanted