Harry's House＜Translucent Yellow Vinyl＞

Welcome to Harrys House, where host Harry Styles will join you for a drink (or more), lend a comforting ear, and make you breakfast the next day. His third full-length, the smooth set is his most consistent and immediately accessible to date, a craveable experience that comforts with warmth, familiarity, and just enough emotion to make his enviable lifestyle relatable. Once again helmed by Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson, the 70s-inspired pop production is a pure Los Angeles vibe, touching down everywhere from hip Hollywood haunts to contemplative Laurel Canyon overlooks. That throwback spirit echoes the work of similarly nostalgic contemporaries like Mark Ronson, Tame Impala, and Bruno Mars, especially on tracks like "Music for a Sushi Restaurant," where joyous horns, thumping bass, and explosive energy are matched by skibbity-boop-bap scat playfulness, and the slowly unfolding "Daylight," which bursts to life with clashing drums, buzzing guitars, and swirling harmonies. "Late Night Talking" is a massive hit-in-waiting, a breezy, synth-heavy dose of fresh love and big promises, while the surprising "Satellite" puts a beautifully evocative spin on getting high with one of the best payoffs on the entire album. Throughout, Styles charisma is matched by equally alluring production, whether hes charming pants off to the bedroom digi-funk of the horny "Cinema," a John Mayer-featuring highlight that channels Random Access Memories; getting drunk on the good stuff while paying homage to McCartney/Wings on "Grapejuice"; or ramping up the energy on the funky "Daydreaming," which pairs a perfectly executed sample of the "padiya pa pa pa pa pa" from the Brothers Johnsons "Aint We Funkin Now" with rousing horns and Pino Palladinos elastic bass. Even on the chart-topping single "As It Was," Styles bittersweet ruminations on change and growth are masked by driving synths and a propulsive beat. In the softer wing of Harrys House, a trio of tender, guitar-plucked tracks connects the artist to the listener, as if Harry was having a chat with a fan on the sofa. The hazy "Little Freak" drips with bittersweet longing, while the Blood Orange-backed "Matilda" reveals a deeply personal tale of a hard-knock youth, and "Boyfriends" finds Ben Harper on guitar as Styles offers a shoulder to cry on for anyone wronged by a lackluster partner. Beyond the catchy melodies, lines of white powder, and sweaty sheets, he subtly reveals himself in these vulnerable moments, continuing his maturation from boy band survivor to one of the biggest stars of his class. While predecessor Fine Line was all belting dramatics and showmanship fit for the grand stage, Harrys House is what happens when Styles steps out of the spotlight to live his life. And despite the fact that theres nothing as immortal as "Watermelon Sugar" to be found, this album, as a whole, has solid bones and is sturdy enough to last. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

公私共に充実しまくり、スーパースターとして躍進著しいハリーの約2年半ぶりの3作目。アイドル脱皮を宣言するかのようだった前2作での正統派クラシック・ロック志向はやや影を潜めて、もっと自然体で楽しんでいるという印象。引き続きキッド・ハープーン、タイラー・ジョンソンらと共に創造されるのは、ノスタルジックな恋愛映画を思わせるロマンチックでドリーミーなポップ・ワールド。ベン・ハーパー、ジョン・メイヤー、デヴ・ハインズらも参加して、エレクトリックなファンクから、しんみり聴かせる素朴なバラードまで、機知に富んだアドヴェンチャーで楽しませる。細野晴臣『HOSONO HOUSE』から取ったタイトル/ジャケのこじんまりしたイメージとは裏腹に、驚くほど広大でサプライズに満ちたランドスケープが広がっている。
bounce (C)村上ひさし