Though Harry Styles is no lyrical genius, he proves that he’s capable of making fun, upbeat songs that make a person want to get up and dance when it comes to his newest album, “Harry’s House.” 

The third solo album by the former One Direction band member released on May 20 and is his first album since 2019. 

The single “As it Was” released back in March and quickly became an overplayed hit on TikTok.

Track one of the album is “Music for a Sushi Restaurant,” which at first listen, felt skip-worthy. Many of the songs, like this one, seemed as if random words and phrases were thrown together (it’s even more obvious in “Keep Driving”) hence why I won’t call Styles a lyrical genius by any means. 

I found myself wondering why the singer started the song with “green eyes, fried rice, I could cook an egg on you.” The more I played it, the more I relished in Styles’ quirky nature.

Though the majority of the songs are spunky hits, Styles displays a more serious tone with “Little Freak,” “Boyfriends” and my personal favorite, “Matilda.” 

The juxtaposition of these songs compared to the rest shouldn’t make sense in the same album, but they surprisingly do. Styles captures a variety of emotions from his own experiences and those of the people he has crossed paths with. 

“Matilda” is a song that Styles wrote about someone he had met and as he got to know her, he realized just how troubled her family life was. He disguised this girl with the name Matilda after Roald Dahl’s book “Matilda,” which features a young girl whose family often ignores and torments her. 

In the song, Styles sings, “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.” He then goes on to say that she shouldn’t feel guilty for leaving her family and growing up on her own. 

This slower, more melodic song instantly became my favorite on the album because I resonated with it, but I also appreciated how Styles balanced a storyline that wasn’t his own by not making it about himself. It’s a sweet gift of support to this Matilda figure. 

Song themes of this album include food, sex, drugs and companionship. Styles is never shy of using food-related themes as sexual innuendos, as he did in the “Fine Line” album with “Watermelon Sugar.” 

“Harry’s House” food references include: fried rice, eggs, ice cream, bubblegum, grapejuice (wine), honey, etc. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Styles might’ve been hungry when writing this album. 

The best part of the entire album is how much I felt that Styles felt free to talk about whatever he wanted. 

Though I don’t think we should romanticize drug use, it is less taboo to talk about in celebrity culture. 

Since Styles started out in a boy band with a younger fanbase, he likely has felt restricted in the past. Now, he probably realizes his fans have grown up with him and expect him to discuss such topics.

“Keep Driving” is the best example of this newfound confidence with “wine glass, puff pass” and “science and edibles.”

Overall, the album gets a 9/10 from me. I’ve already bought the CD and the vinyl record and will continue to stream it on Spotify. 

“Harry’s House” is available on all music platforms.