Harry Styles' First Single is Finally Here

Harry Styles is the third member of One Direction to officially go solo, and his new single “Sign of the Times” is the perfect screenshot of his individual style.

Styles’ group One Direction labeled him and his other band members as mainstream pop stars. However, since the band’s hiatus turned breakup, Styles has created his own sound as a mix of alternative and old British rock.

Fans found out that One Direction broke up slowly, seeing their band’s members release music unexpectedly. Styles had been quiet during his break, not communicating with fans as much, minimally posting to Instagram and Twitter. Before his single was announced, he posted three blank squares to instagram, and then, finally, a picture of the single’s cover with a caption giving the title and release date. The announcements gave fans a week to anticipate what his sound would be.

So how does it sound? The song opens slowly with long notes on the piano and Styles’ vocals come in shortly after. The song slowly builds with drums and guitars, even adding in a choir near the end. The sound is bittersweet, with lyrics that make the listener really think, showing his growth from the simple boy band songs.

The song truly shows how much he has grown and developed his style since his time with the famous boy band. The lyrics are more meaningful than past songs, and his individual sound is clear through this single.

However, since the song’s release, there have been a lot of varying opinions from critics and the pubic. Critics have comparisons to legends such as David Bowie as his style is certainly reminiscent of classic British rock, with a grand ending to the song and a long runtime (almost six minutes long). Critics believe that these patterns in his music may lead him to dangerous territory, making it difficult to establish himself in the contemporary music scene while romanticising and reintroducing classic sounds. Independent online newspaper states that, “While there are plenty of nods to the likes of Queen, Bowie, and Bruno Mars track ‘When I Was Your Man’, he's appropriating those artists rather than coming into his own..” However true it may be, it seems too early to judge his entire style based on one song.

Having said that, others find that his song has hints of artists such as Lana Del Rey, creating a sound that combines classic rock with contemporary alternative. His vocals are melancholy and dreamlike, adding to the bittersweet tone of the song.

Public opinions show that the new song is a success. High school student at Pequannock Julia Cucci likes the song, saying “I feel like it’s different from [One Direction’s] type of music. But I feel like it’s something Harry would make - I expected him to not be a pop artist, and I like it.”

While there may be mixed opinions, there is no denying that all of these factors make for a single that have people intrigued in what he will do in the future. It separates him from other artists, and makes him a topic of discussion. The song is perfect for a starting solo artist, and it will be exciting to see what Harry’s album will sound like when it is released on May 12th.