Harry Styles, previously boy-band idol turned solo act, released his sophomore album “Fine Line,” which climbed the charts to become the first album to reach No. 1 in 2020. It currently sits at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart.
He released singles off of the album including “Watermelon Sugar” and “Lights Up” weeks before the release. From the album, “Adore You,” currently has over 100 million streams on Spotify.
“Fine Line,” borders a more modern alternative sound than the latest pop singles. Styles falls in line with the most recently released music that is hard to label but easy to listen to.
Throughout the tracklist, Styles sings about more romantic themes with breakup-heavy lyrics about his ex haunting every chorus and bridge. The album almost takes listeners through every step of the seemingly short-lived relationship.
In his song, “To Be So Lonely,” he seems to be ending whatever is left with his ex: “’Cause I miss the shape of your lips / You’ll win / It’s just a trick / And this is it, so I’m sorry.”
With Styles having a younger sound, the tracks take on more of a young love motif. He fantasized about dancing through a kitchen and not wanting to be alone. Along with this, the singer ages in every single song, acknowledging the short nature of the relationship despite being increasingly attached to the lost love.
In “Sunflower, Vol. 6,” Styles explores a younger, more intense romance, “Let me inside, I wanna get to know you / I don’t wanna make you feel bad, but I’ve been trying hard not to act a fool / My sunflower.”
On his previous album “Harry Styles,” the romance begins and ends with a broader look at the world and its wild inhabitants. In “Fine Line,” the dust starts to settle around Styles and more unknown exes that have become almost a muse for this sophomore album.
In “Cherry,” the lyrics almost outwardly beg for a past relationship to be rehashed for the sake of consolation. “I, I just miss / I just miss your accent and your friends / Did you know I still talk to them? / Does he take you walking ’round his parents’ gallery?”
The ex for this song — and possibly other songs — is supermodel Camille Rowe, only identified at the end of the track by the soundbite of a French voicemail from her.
The voicemail is in pieces, asking if Styles was asleep and then telling him about her and a possible new boyfriend going to the beach.
Along with Styles exploring relationships through “Fine Line,” he also once again extending himself to society through his new music.
The song’s lyrics are similar to Lennon’s “Imagine,” in suggesting a better place in the world, “Maybe, we can find a place to feel good / And we can treat people with kindness / Find a place to feel good.”
With ticket sales and merchandise purchases, a portion of the proceeds go to a number of charities including multiple national cancer research centers along with refugee support networks and food banks.
