Harry Styles has not released new music since December 2019, which, granted, isn’t an absurd amount of time. But it was certainly enough time for his rabid fandom (the “Harries”) to spiral out of control about what they thought his next era would be like.

As a long time disciple of Styles myself, I, of course, had plenty of theories about what his next musical release would be. His self-titled 2017 debut solo album toed the line between rock and pop, often leaning more heavily into the rock side with tracks like “Kiwi” and “Only Angel.” This album release was undeniably successful (it was the ninth global bestselling album of 2017), but, considering who released it (the most popular member of the biggest boy band in the world at the time), there was definitely room for growth. Only two of the songs entered the Billboard Hot 100 and only one, the lead single “Sign of the Times,” reached the top 10.

His follow up, however, showed the level of success that he was capable of. The 2019 album “Fine Line” saw Styles go much more fully into pop, but maintained some rock sensibilities as well as elements of psychedelic pop, folk, and funk. The album broke the record as the biggest debut from a British male artist since Nielsen SoundScan began and has been certified triple platinum in the US. It yielded seven Billboard Hot 100 entries, with “Adore You” hitting number six and “Watermelon Sugar” becoming his first number one hit. It was also included on Rolling Stone’s 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and was the most recently released album on the list, and was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2021 Grammys. “Watermelon Sugar” won the Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance and “Adore You” was nominated for Best Music Video. “Fine Line” was a major critical and commercial success for Styles that has cemented him as one of today’s biggest pop stars.

The anticipation for his next release was high, but no one quite knew what to expect.

We got our first glimpse into the new era on Wednesday, March 23 when Styles posted a photo of his new album’s cover art on his Twitter and Instagram accounts with the caption: “Harry’s House. May 20th.” The cover features Styles dressed in wide leg jeans and a tunic top, standing in an upside down room with furniture on the ceiling.  

At first glance, I wasn’t sure what to make of this image. It starkly contrasts his first two album covers, with subdued coloring and less eye-catching imagery. But this seems to be the first time where his album artwork is clearly related to his album title. While this is definitely my least favorite of his three album covers, I am excited to see what the rest of the album photos look like and if he continues to play into the “house” motif.

The title of the album itself is confusing. It could easily pass for the name of a children’s TV show. I am hopeful that when the album comes out the title will make sense, either as the title of one of the tracks or as an encapsulation of the theme of the album. But, at the moment, that remains to be seen. 

On Monday, March 28, Styles followed this up with a post announcing the upcoming release of the lead single “As It Was,” along with the accompanying music video, on Friday, April 1. 

On release day, I spent the whole time in eager anticipation. I still remember the exact moment when I pressed play as I sat at my desk in my Bennet forced triple. 

“Come on, Harry, we wanna say goodnight to you.” Those are the first words you hear on the song, spoken by Ruby Winston—Styles’s goddaughter and daughter to Ben Winston, Emmy-winning producer and the director of some of One Direction’s best music videos.

It was quite a shocking start to the song, as Styles has only once before included a spoken voice recording in his songs (on the breakup song “Cherry,” featuring the voice of his ex-girlfriend Camille Rowe). But in this case, Ruby sounds adorably cheerful, and starting the song off with a child’s voice certainly adds to the domestic vibes I predict this album will have.

The music instantly reminded me of the 80s synth pop classic “Take On Me” by A-ha, which, as a lover of 80s music, brought me much joy. It was surprising, as Styles has most frequently identified himself as a lover of 70s music and aesthetics (note Mick Fleetwood’s recent psychedelic-inspired ad campaign for Pleasing, Styles’ beauty brand), but I’m excited and hopeful to see if he experiments more with the 80s-inspired sound.

In the first verse, Styles sings of a relationship rife with communication issues. He asks the person being addressed to “hold out the palm of your hand” but then immediately asks them to “leave it at that” and insists there’s “nothing to say.” Styles has explored the theme of poor communication between partners multiple times in his albums, so when I first heard these lyrics, I was not intrigued.

During the chorus, he sings about a world of just him and this person and declares “it’s not the same as it was.” This lyric has given me a lot of pause, because I cannot tell if the change being alluded to is positive or negative.

The second verse packs easily the strongest punch. Someone calls Styles and tells him, “You’re no good alone / What are you sitting at home on the floor? / What kind of pills are you on?” This is not the first time Styles has explicitly mentioned drugs in a song, but it’s the first time he’s alluded to someone in his life directly accusing him of a drug problem.

The verse also features the lines “Your daddy lives by himself / He just wants to know that you’re well,” which are the song’s most heartbreaking lyrics. It’s impossible to know exactly who is being referenced in this line, but assuming he’s talking about his own father, I am in tears.

The song’s bridge features a tempo change and faster, more rhythmic lyric delivery. The meaning of the words are still pretty vague as he references “light-speed internet” and “leave America, two kids follow her” in the same breath, so there is plenty of room for interpretation.

The outro might be my favorite part of the song, as it features a super fun drum beat and very prominent bells reminiscent of the Beach Boys. 

On the whole, Styles’s performance isn’t a standout, as it features very soft vocals and I find myself itching for him to show off more range. I also find it funny how Styles managed to make such a fun sounding, danceable song about such incredibly sad issues, but that also feels very on brand for him .

Overall, “As It Was” was a fun listening experience with a really great new sound that makes me excited for what’s to come. It didn’t feature my favorite lyrics by Styles, nor my favorite vocals, but I still had a great time and I am eagerly awaiting what comes next. The song is a strong start to what I hope will be his best work yet.

Erin Byerly can be reached at ebyerly@wesleyan.edu.